It Was For The Best
by Mette A
Summary: The story picks up in Sovogda when Irina has left. It will contain a lot of the known characters and new ones, but it will primarily be a Jack/Irina story. As to not give anything away I'll post this as generel. But read to find out if that's all.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** It Was For The Best.

**Rating:** I'm not that good at deciding what rating this goes under, but to be on the safe side, I've put it under M. But this story won't really contain any smut - just to let you know.

**Spoiler:** It picks up in Sovogda when Irina has left. It will contain a lot of the known characters as well as new ones, but it will primarily be a Jack/Irina story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Alias. It belongs to JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, and ABC.

**NOTE 1:** Everything in the story might not be how the characters on _Alias_ really were or how they might have turned out. Some things might not be rational, some things might be exaggerated, some things might be unbelievable, some things might not be able to happen in real life, and some things might just be downright silly. But please remember that this is a fiction, and that this is just my way of having a little fun.

**NOTE 2:** This is the first story out of 3 connecting stories.

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**Chapter 1**

Jack and Sydney stood and watched Irina leave. When they could only see her in the distance Sydney spoke. "You let her go dad".

"Yes, I did".

"Why?"

"Your mother has been locked up and tortured by her own sister. She deserves freedom." They faced each other, and he gave her a small smile, which Sydney returned. Just before Irina was completely out of their sight Jack took one last look at her, and before he turned to leave said, "I'll go check on the others, and explain what happened. We'll tell the CIA that your mother took off when we went around securing the area, and taking care of Nadia."

"You think that'll work?"

"If we all stick to the story it will." When he turned around he came face to face with Vaughn. Vaughn gave Jack a nod indicating that he would go along with the plan. Jack nodded in return, and left to talk to Sloane.

"Are you really okay with that plan?"

"Your mother was put through hell by her own sister, and though your mother is not my favorite person in the world, no one deserves that kind of treatment." Sydney smiled at him and then hugged him. "Besides she's your mother and will be my mother-in-law, so it's probably not the best course of action to not go along with the plan." That earned him a small laugh from Sydney, and a kiss.

"Thank you Vaughn. It means a lot to me." They looked at each other, and hugged again.

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The following day Jack, Sydney, and Vaughn were back at APO, facing director Chase, who wasn't happy to hear that Irina didn't return with them.

"Just how did Derevko get away from three highly trained CIA agents? That shouldn't be possible."

"As we already explained to you, Vaughn and I went to secure the area, and Sydney was by her sister's side with Sloane. She is after all Irina Derevko, and quite capable of slipping past even the best trained agents."

Chase was fuming, and turned angrily to Sydney.

"I trusted you, and she's out there running around freely, because of you."

"I know, and it was my responsibility to look after her while my father and Vaughn went to secure the area, and I take full responsibility. But I was concerned about my sister. The important thing is we stopped it, and that was with my mother's help. She did something good."

Jack was a little distracted when he heard that Sydney took full responsibility for her mother's 'escape'. That had definitely not been part of their plan. He quickly focused on the conversation again when Chase's booming voice spoke again.

"I hardly think that justifies anything agent Bristow. Derevko might have been _helpful _in Sovogda, but now she's out there on her own, doing god knows what. She doesn't exactly have the best track record for doing good things, now does she?"

"No she doesn't."

Sydney wanted to tear Chase's head off. Why couldn't she just be happy that the mission had gone well, and then not care so much about her mother? She didn't however, want to get into heavier waters with Chase, so she kept her cool, but inside she was fuming as much as Chase was fuming on the outside.

"Fortunately for you, Sloane is given the exact same story as you are. I'm not convinced that Derevko didn't have help in her so-called escape, but again fortunately for you, I can't prove it." She looked at them one by one to see if any of them would give anything away, but they didn't. Not that she had really expected anything. Especially not from the Bristows. Vaughn was another thing, but she figured it had to be his love for Sydney that kept him quiet. "Very well. You're all excused and there won't be any further investigation into the matter. But I'm watching you. If you associate with Derevko again in any way, you will be thrown in jail. Solitary confinement. You know what that's like, right Jack?" She was smirking at Jack, a triumphantly smirk. If he wouldn't give up Derevko, she could certainly make him think back to what he went through the last time he worked with her, and didn't give her up.

Jack knew she was baiting him, but he kept his calm. He smirked right back at her.

"Yes, I do."

His smirk had the effect he had hoped for. Chase stopped smirking, and instead put her mad face back on. A small smile escaped Sydney and Vaughn's lips. They looked briefly at each other, and then turned to look at Chase again.

"Get out of here. Write out your report on the mission. I want it by tomorrow morning." Jack, Sydney, and Vaughn left, and walked away from the office. They walked far away, so that no one would hear them.

"Sydney, why did you take full responsibility?"

"I thought Chase would accept it more if I said it was my fault, rather than your fault dad." She put her hand on his arm to let him know that she didn't mind taking full blame for what happened, and smiled at him too.

Jack gave a small smile in return, and nodded.

"Well, I guess we better get started on that report."

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Nearly two weeks after leaving Sovogda, Irina returned home. She stood outside of her house in Russia, and she couldn't believe she was seeing it again.

"I'm really here." She saw that the lights were on inside, and a smile spread across her face. "Sergei." She started to shake a little and had to steady herself before ringing the bell. "Hello Sergei."

"Irina? Irina is that really you?" A dark-haired man in his mid-thirties was shocked to see that she stood in-front of him. "My god, it is really you" He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Yes, Sergei it's really me. I've missed you so much."

He kissed her cheeks and forehead and hugged her again.

"I thought I'd never see you again, and I've missed you too. And I love you. You know that right? Because, I don't want you to ever doubt that."

"I don't doubt that, and I love you too." She kissed his cheeks and forehead just like he had done with her. He let her inside and she looked at the stairs. "Are….?" She had a lump in her throat, and small tears escaped her eyes.

"Yes, right up there in bed and fast asleep. It's late after all." He smiled broadly at her. He knew how much she must have been longing.

"And are….?" Her emotions took over, and she couldn't seem to get the words out.

"Yes, and absolutely fine. But everything will be much better now that you're home. Why don't you go up and see. You need to do that." He wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead again. "After that we can talk if you're up to it."

"Thank you Sergei. I can't believe I get to see….." Her tears took hold of her once again, and she put her hands to her face.

"It's okay Irina." He hugged her again, and once more dried her tears. "Now go on. Get upstairs. Go see for yourself."

She kissed him on the cheek, and walked slowly upstairs. She got to the room she was looking for, and stood outside putting her hand on the door. She gathered herself and slowly opened the door, and the sight that met her made her cry again. She couldn't say anything through her tears, and just stood their looking at the beautiful sight she hadn't seen in over a year, but had longed so desperately for.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**vitnux: **Thank you very much for saying that and thinking that. :-) I really appreciate it. :-) I hope you continue to like it.

**Rishka Derevko:** Thank you very much for saying that. :blush: I really appreciate it. :-) This story is actually finished and the second story is in development, so you should get updates for this one rather quickly. This story contains 45 chapters, and the second story is currently at 32 chapters but nowhere near done. I hope you continue to like the story.

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**Chapter 2**

After returning from Sovogda Sydney's life had been turned up side down. Her sister was in a coma fighting for her life, she was pregnant, and Vaughn's name wasn't really Vaughn. The two of them had been through hell the last couple of weeks and now he was lying there, in a hospital bed fighting for his life, just like Nadia. She hadn't known what to do, so she had called her father. He would know what to do. Vaughn's life was in danger, and something needed to be done. Fifteen minutes later Jack arrived.

"Sydney, are you alright?"

"Yes, dad I'm fine. It's Vaughn who's injured." Jack hugged her tightly, and they walked over to see Vaughn. Jack looked at Vaughn, and couldn't help but be worried about Sydney. They stepped away from the door, and Sydney started to explain. "Dad, Vaughn needs your help. He's not safe here." She couldn't quite read the expression on Jack's face, and decided to tell him her secret. "I'm pregnant." The stunned expression on Jack's face couldn't be missed, and Sydney felt she needed to move on quickly. "I'm sorry this is not the way I wanted you to find out. But I desperately need your help. Not just for me and Vaughn, but also so our unborn child can have both Vaughn and I in his or hers life."

Though Jack was still stunned to learn he was going to be a grandfather, he also knew Sydney was right. It wasn't safe for Vaughn to be out in the open. He needed to go into hiding. Jack was also no stranger to being lied to. But he had to give Vaughn some credit. At least he had told Sydney the truth in time. That thought gave him an idea that he was sure would be the best way to keep Vaughn safe.

"Of course I'll help sweetheart. I have someone in mind, who can help, but I'm not sure if Vaughn will like the idea."

Sydney saw the look on Jack's face and knew exactly, who he was talking about.

"Mom."

"Yes. I had planned on getting in touch with her to hear if she got back safely, wherever that might be. This seems like the perfect time. I don't know if Vaughn will accept her help, though."

"He doesn't really have a choice. Not when it's for his own safety. Do you really think mom will help?"

"First of all, your mother will do anything for you." Jack knew that to be the truth now. "Second of all, your mother owes Vaughn for all the times he protected her." Sydney smiled at Jack, and knew he was right. "I'll get started on contacting her right away. You stay here with Vaughn and fill him in on what we talked about." He squeezed her hand and smiled at her before leaving.

When Sydney reached Vaughn's door, she heard Jack call out for her.

"Sydney."

"Yes, what is it dad? Did you forget something?"

Jack looked at her, and the image of a four-year-old Sydney with a pillow under her shirt pretending to be pregnant, briefly entered his mind.

"I believe you said something about being pregnant?" He smiled at her, and she returned it nodding. _'My god, my baby's having a baby.'_ He took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. It was still something he wasn't quite used to doing, being the one to give the hug. But with every hug he gave her he felt more comfortable. He kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes.

"I know what you're thinking dad. Me at four, pretending to be pregnant." Jack couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yes."

"I guess I'm not so little anymore."

Jack looked at her, and for one of the first times ever realized, she indeed was a grown-up woman.

"No, you're not. But that doesn't mean I still don't think of you as my little girl." Sydney's eyes started to tear up a bit, and Jack suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being so emotional. Not knowing quite what to do, he decided to excuse himself. "I think I better contact your mother. The sooner, the better."

Before he could leave though, Sydney kissed him on the cheek. As he left she called out to him.

"Dad, I might be a grown-up, but that doesn't mean I don't need you anymore. I'll always need you." Jack wasn't sure on what to do, so he simply smiled. Sydney however, could see through that thick exterior of his that deep down inside he needed to hear that, and that it meant more to him than she would probably ever realize. "Dad, could you do me another favor?"

Jack had to swallow a few times to get his voice in control.

"Sure sweetheart."

"Tell mom I'm pregnant. I want her to know. I would've loved to be the one to tell her myself, but since that's not going to happen….." She trailed off, and Jack knew that it was important for her that Irina knew.

"I'll make sure to tell." Then he left.

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The following day in Russia at night, Irina sat in her study looking at the website for the London Globe. There it was; a note from Jack.

"Well, at least you're not in prison because of me." She responded to the add, and sighed deeply. Soon she'd know how her daughters were doing. She had wanted to get in touch with Jack to know how they were doing, but she had also needed time to get reacquainted with some people when she came back to Russia. She had just been gone for far too long.

"I thought you might like a cup of tea."

She looked up to find Sergei standing by her desk with a steaming cup of tea.

"Yes, please that's exactly what I need." She smiled and took the cup from him.

He looked at her computer screen, and was a bit puzzled.

"The London Globe?" Then realization dawned on him, and he got a bit mad. "It's Jack, isn't it? You're getting in touch with him again." When he received a small nod from Irina, he got a little madder. "Why on earth are you getting in touch with him? Have you forgotten that he actually thought you were capable of putting a hit on Sydney?"

"First of all Sergei, Jack got in touch with me and not the other way around. Second of all, Sydney is exactly the reason why I'm getting in touch with him. Her and Nadia. They're my daughters, Sergei, and I need to know how they're doing. Help them if I can. I wanted to get in touch with them sooner, you know that. But I also needed to pay attention to…." She got too emotional to carry on with what she was saying. But she could tell that Sergei understood her.

"Still that doesn't justify anything. He's an idiot, and someone needs to tell him that."

"Sergei, I told you the other day, I don't want you to talk that way about Jack in the house. Or outside the house. Or anywhere. I don't want there to be the slightest chance that….."

"I know, I know, Irina." He cut her off before she could finish. "But I really don't think there's any chance of hearing me now. I mean, I'm down here, and…."

"Regardless of that," This time it was his turn to be cut off, "I don't want you to talk badly about Jack. Is that understood?" He didn't answer her. "Sergei." She was annoyed with him, and wanted him to answer her. When her slightly rough tone hadn't had any effect on him she spoke softer. "Sergei, please."

"Fine, fine." It was clear by the tone in his voice that he didn't hold Jack in the highest regards at the moment. A noise broke his thoughts and he looked at Irina. She gave him a little taste of the Derevko death glare, and he sighed and smiled a little. "Yes, I know that could've been a close call. I promise I won't talk badly about Jack again. You should go, because I believe you're needed." She gave him a big smile in respond to the last part, kissed him on the cheek, and went to tend to the noise. Sergei sat down by the computer, and looked at the website for The London Globe that was still appearing on the screen. "We'll meet someday Jack. Believe me we'll meet someday. And if you ever doubt her again, I'll make you pay."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**lady-josie: **Thank you very much for liking my story. :-) I really appreciate it. :-) I'm not going to reveal who Sergei is or what the secret is - you just have to read to find out. *lol* I'll update every day until all of the story is posted and then I'll start posting the sequel. However, after I post a new chapter tomorrow it'll be almost 2 weeks before I'm able to post a chapter again as I won't have internet access. Thanks again. :-)

**alex: **Thank you very much. :-) I really appreciate it. :-) As I told Rishka Derevko at the beginning of chapter 2, this story is already written, so it's just a matter of posting it. Thanks again. :-)

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**Chapter 3.**

The following day Irina was sitting by her computer, and saw Jack's screen name _Johnny_Cash2_. This time they'd chosen a country music chat room. She took a deep breath. She needed to prepare herself to find out how her daughters were doing. Especially Nadia. She had especially been in her thoughts. No sooner had she finally found her long lost daughter, before she was nearly taken away from her again.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you sweetheart, not now that I finally have you in my life again." She was now brave enough to write to Jack.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Hello Jack. I can see they didn't throw you in jail.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ No, they didn't. Did you get back safely?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Yes, thank you. You? Did you have any trouble?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Only with Chase, but nothing we couldn't handle.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ How are Sydney and Nadia? Any change with Nadia?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ No, no news on Nadia. She's in a coma, and fighting for her life. We're doing our best to find a cure.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Thank you, Jack. I know she's well looked after.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ What about Sydney?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ That's one of the reasons why I wanted to get in touch with you. I need your help.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ My god. Is Sydney alright? Is she hurt?

Irina was immediately alarmed, and it seemed it took forever for Jack to respond.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Sydney's fine. It's Vaughn. It's a long story and I won't go into details now. He was nearly killed, and he needs to go into hiding. I need your help with that.

Irina could've smacked Jack if he was right beside her for making her worry about Sydney. She also knew why someone had tried to kill Vaughn, and now she was a little concerned about coming clean to Jack.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ No need to explain Michael's situation. I know.

Jack was stunned to read what she'd just written. But that wore off quickly. Of course she knew. He took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. If she had been right beside him he would've yield at her.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ You knew. All this time you've known and you didn't say anything. Why? Don't you think Sydney needed to know this?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ I understand you're mad Jack, but it was not my place to tell her. If I thought she wasn't safe with Michael, I would've told her.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ She wasn't safe. Vaughn was in a car accident at first, and Sydney was in the car with him. When he was shot she was there too. Her life wasn't the only life in danger. She's pregnant.

Irina gasped. _'My baby's having a baby.' _"I wish I could be there for you right now sweetheart. I will be soon, I promise." She got back to the matter at hand, when she heard that Jack had written to her again.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Irina, are you there? I'm sorry. That wasn't exactly how I wanted to break the news about our first grandchild.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Yes, I'm here Jack. I just didn't expect that kind of news. How is she?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ She's fine. Morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet. She's taking care of herself the best she can while being worried sick about Vaughn.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ That's our girl.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ I'm sorry, I brought her life in danger as well as the life of our grandchild.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Vaughn had only started to tell her the truth right before the car accident. You didn't bring her life in danger.

He thought, he needed to tell her that. After all, he thought that she'd been capable of hurting Sydney, when he knew deep down inside, she would never do that. It was just so much easier blaming her, when she wasn't right there beside him.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ I know that whatever you've done to her, in the past, is for her own protection.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Thank you.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ About Vaughn. It's urgent. He needs to go into hiding somewhere very remote.

_Dolly_Parton_2:_ I think I have the perfect place. Give me a couple of hours to arrange it. I'll drop off all the information needed in our usual place.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Thank you. I should get going. I have arrangements of my own to take care of.

_Johnny_Cash2_: Sydney told me to tell you she loves you.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Tell her I love her too. Can I ask you for a favor Jack?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ What did you have in mind?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Could you please look in on Nadia for me? Spend some time with her, and talk to her? Tell her I love her?

Jack sighed deeply. Of all the things she could ask of him, this was what she asked. He wasn't thrilled with the idea. He had visited Nadia a few times. She was after all a fellow agent, Sydney's sister, and he felt responsible for what happened to her. But he had never really talked to her. He talked to her doctors to find out how she was doing, and made sure she was well taken care of, but that had been all he'd done so far. He sighed again. Spending time with Nadia, and talking to her seemed like the right thing to do when Irina couldn't be there for her daughter.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Yes, I will. I should go.

_Dolly_Parton_x2_: Thank you. I should get on with the arrangements too.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Take care and stay safe Jack.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ You too Irina.

_Johnny_Cash2 has logged off._

Irina couldn't help but smile a little. She wanted to be there for both Sydney and Nadia, but was glad that Jack was there for both of her daughters. She didn't think Sloane would be there for Nadia, whether or not he was locked up for getting involved with Rambaldi again. She would hope that Sloane would never see the light of day again, but maybe Nadia needed a father by her side, even if that was Sloane. She shook Sloane from her mind and concentrated on Sydney.

"My goodness, how I would love to see your child grow up Sydney. I would love nothing more than to be a grandmother to your child, but I have to settle for being a grandmother from a distance. I'll do anything I can to protect you, even if that's from afar. Starting with your baby's father." She picked up the phone and started dialing.

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A few hours later everything was set. Jack had received the plans and he came into Vaughn's room where he found Sydney. She looked up at Jack and started to cry a little, and turned her attention back on Vaughn. She wanted to speak, but was stopped by Jack. He pulled a pen out and clicked on it. It was the anti-eavesdrop device he had pulled out earlier, when he had come to explain how they would fake Vaughn's death. Vaughn nodded and Sydney did the same.

"I put the drugs in this juice." He pulled out a bottle of juice, and handed it to Sydney, so that she could help Vaughn drink it. The drugs were similar to the drugs he had put in the red wine Sloane had, before he was executed. The drugs would make it seem that Vaughn died of his injuries, and no one could do anything to try to safe him. "It won't take us long before we have your 'body' released, and we'll wake you up as soon as we get you to the safe location Irina provided us with."

"I know Jack. I'm not worried about me." He turned to Sydney, and couldn't help but just look at her helplessly. "I'm so sorry, Syd. You shouldn't have to go through the pregnancy alone. Or have to pretend to grieve for me when I'm not dead. It's just not right."

"Your safety is the most important thing at the moment. You just worry about getting better and staying safe. Besides, we'll have more children. You can experience pregnancy with me then." She gave him her bravest smile through her tears, and bend down to kiss him.

"Careful. You don't want to get any of the sleeping drugs in you." That earned Vaughn a small laugh from Sydney. She couldn't believe he was lying there still fighting for his life, but at the same time he was able to make her smile and laugh.

"I won't. And don't worry about me being alone. I have dad, Eric, Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, and a bunch of other people at APO. I'll be fine."

"You're lying, but thank you for putting on a brave face for me." He put his hand to her cheek and just held her gaze. "Remember not to tell anyone that I'm alive. It's best if they all believe I'm really dead. I don't want to put them in danger."

"I won't tell, I promise. Only dad, mom, and I'll know."

Jack felt a bit uncomfortable being in the same room with them when they were sharing such an intimate moment, for what would be one of the last ones in a long time. He cleared his throat.

"If you need to say anything else to each other that no one else should pick up on, you should say it now. We're almost out of time."

Vaughn looked at Sydney, but spoke to Jack.

"No Jack. I believe we've said everything." They all stayed silent and a few moments later they heard the beeping sound of the pen. Jack put the pen back in his pocket and walked to the door.

"I'm going to get some coffee and give you two some time alone." He looked at his watch and gave a reassuring smile to Vaughn and Sydney. In about 20 minutes Vaughn would 'die', and he thought it'd be best to leave that time to the two of them.

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20 minutes later there was a mad dash for Vaughn's room. The doctors and nurses tried their best to get Vaughn back, but they had to tell a crying Sydney that there was nothing they could do. Jack and Sydney put on a display. Sydney as the grieving girlfriend, and Jack as the comforting father. But the truth was, it really wasn't an act. Sydney was grieving for real. She wouldn't know when she'd see Vaughn again, and she'd probably go through childbirth without him. Jack was indeed comforting a grieving daughter.

Vaughn's 'body' was released the very next day. Jack had called APO the day before to let them know about Vaughn's 'death' Now he, Vaughn, and Sydney were at the safe location Irina had given them. They met with the men who would make sure of Vaughn's safety, and the leader of the team greeted them.

"Mr. Vaughn it's nice to meet you. You'll be well looked after. Miss Bristow, may I say you're the spitting image of your mother. Just as beautiful as she. It's indeed an honor to meet you. And Mr. Bristow. It's equally an honor to meet you." He shook hands with each of them. "I don't mean to be rude but we need to get going. You have five minutes."

Sydney looked at Jack and he knew she needed those minutes alone with Vaughn. He shook Vaughn's hand.

"Be safe."

"Thank you Jack. I know I don't have to tell you to look after Sydney for me, because I know you will. You always have and you always will. I respect you for that, and at this moment I'm thankful." Jack couldn't do much other than nod at him, and left to talk some more with Irina's team. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself, Syd. I don't want anything to happen to you or our little one. I love you too much. Both of you."

"Oh Vaughn." She threw her arms around him and cried her eyes out. "I love you too, so much. Remember that always." They held each other, cried together, and shared passionate kisses before it was time for Vaughn to leave.

Jack had an arm around her when Vaughn left, and even some time after they could no longer see his plane, he still had a protective arm around her.

"We should get going. We have a plane to catch too." She nodded and leaned in for another hug before they left.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Lady-josie: **Thank you very much - I'm thrilled to hear that. :-) Yeah, I guess I really should've waited until after Easter to start posting the story - but you never know what kind of response you're going to get, so I'm still glad I started posting it. You'll learn about her life in Russia eventually. Thank you very much for thinking my story is lovely - I hope you continue to feel that way. :-)

**vitnux: **There are 45 chapters in this story, so there's plenty left. You'll learn about Sergei and Irina's secret eventually - I'm not going to reveal anything but feel free to guess. *lol* Thank you very much for liking my story - I'm thrilled to hear that. :-)

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**Chapter 4**

When Jack and Sydney returned to APO everyone was concerned about Sydney. They feared for her well-being and tried their best to comfort her. She felt sick having to pretend that Vaughn was dead. She was lying to his friends. To Eric, his best friend. One of her best friends too. He had been there for her when she got back after being missing for two years, and she was lying to him. She hated it but also knew it was what needed to be done, in order to keep Vaughn safe.

"Thank you, it means a lot to me, Marcus. Vaughn would've loved that, Eric. Yes Marshall, it's unfortunate that he'll never know if he had a son or daughter." Those were some of the lies she told to people. To her friends who were really more like family to her. But she kept up appearances and accepted all the help that was offered to her.

The day before Vaughn's funeral, she had accepted Eric's invitation to let him cheer her up, and Jack was at APO finishing up work. He didn't really know what to do, because he had spent all evenings with Sydney planning the funeral and supporting her. He took one last look at a report about a meeting taking place in London, and he remembered. The London Globe. Irina. Nadia.

"You did promise her. Might as well get started on those visits." He finished up, and went to the secret CIA hospital where Nadia was being kept.

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Just before reaching Nadia's room he met her primary doctor, Dr. Peter Blake. Jack and Peter had known each other for many years, and he was one of the only people in the world that Jack really trusted. They couldn't really call their relationship a friendship or anything like that, but they shared a deep respect and admiration for each other.

"Hi Jack, what brings you by this time at night? Did you come here to talk to me?"

"Hi Peter. No actually, I came to see Nadia."

"Really? Well good for you, and good for her. I'm sure it'll do both of you some good."

"Yeah well, I made a promise to…..Sydney." He had nearly said Irina, and thought he pulled off his almost slip of the tongue.

"Sydney huh?" Jack knew he hadn't fooled Peter. Peter had known Jack since Sydney was five, and had on a few occasions met Irina. He had seen what Irina's betrayal had done to Jack, and known how they had worked together trying to find the people responsible for Sydney's disappearance. He had also seen how much Irina had loved Sydney, and he'd never believed that her love for Sydney was an act. That's why he knew that it would also be killing Irina now that she couldn't be here for Nadia. But he was glad to know that she had turned to Jack for help. "Well, next time you see 'Sydney' tell her I said hi." He smiled at Jack and returned to his work.

Jack entered Nadia's room and stood by her bed. Not quite sure on what to say he just started to talk off his head.

"Hi Nadia….this is Jack by the way….Sydney's dad." He rubbed his hand over his head not knowing what he had gotten himself into. _'Damn it Jack, stop sounding like Marshall.' _"Your mother says hi….she would've been here, but you know…..she can't….she'd be arrested…..obviously." He shook his head. _'One of these days Jack, someone has got to tell you, you're an idiot.'_ He took a deep breath and gathered himself. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Nadia. "As Sydney's probably told you or by your own observation, you'll know that I'm not really good at this. Talking like this, making conversation. Hopefully I'll improve one day." He knew that the room wasn't bugged, so he felt comfortable speaking freely about Irina. He tugged a strand of loose hair behind Nadia's ear, and just sat there looking at her for a few moments. "Your mother told me to tell you, she loves you. She really does, and trust me there's no mistaken that. I've seen it with my own eyes." He took hold of her hand, and stroked it gently. "You've been deprived of your mother your whole life, and when you finally found each other, you were pulled apart again. But I promise you, Nadia, you'll see each other again. We'll find a cure for you, and you'll get to spend all the time in world with your mother. You just have to do it secretly though. Director Chase threaten to throw us all in jail, if we're caught associating with your mother. But what she doesn't know won't harm her, right? Well, harm us really."

He sat back in his chair, and if he could look in a mirror, he would have seen a tiny smile on his lips. "Tomorrow is Vaughn's funeral. However, that's not exactly the truth. You see, he's not really dead. He had to go into hiding for his own safety. I'm really not supposed to tell you this. The only ones who know are Sydney, you mother, and me." He leaned forward in his chair, and tried his best to be serious. "So I trust you can keep a secret." He smiled a bit of his own little joke, and thought that Nadia would've smiled at that too. He knew in his heart that one day he would see her smile again.

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The funeral went well. As well as a funeral can be expected to go well. Everyone had respected Sydney's wish for a closed casket, though everyone was surprised by her decision. At the reception afterwards Sydney felt like screaming. It was like she was being suffocated. What she needed was to get back to work to take her mind off of things. However, Jack was not thrilled by the idea when she talked to him about it a few days after the funeral.

"No, Sydney. Absolutely not. It's out of the question, and that's final."

"That's final? What am I? Eight?" She might not have said it intentionally, but it made Jack think of the time when he got back from solitary confinement after Irina's betrayal. He had often told Sydney no whenever there was anything she wanted to do, and he didn't want to do anything. "Dad I'm pregnant, not handicapped."

"I know you're not, but I'm looking out for you and my grandchild. There's no reason to put that child in unnecessary danger."

"I'll be careful dad. You know I will. I need to be part of this whole Prophet 5 thing for Vaughn's sake. Not just for his sake, but mine too and my baby's."

Why did she have to be so stubborn? Unfortunately, it was a family trade. Something she had inherited from both him and Irina. He sighed deeply, and knew he couldn't get her to change her mind.

"Fine Sydney, you can go. But your safety comes above anything else. The minute you expect any danger, you get out of there at once. Understood?"

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I love you too, dad, and I'll be careful. That's a promise." She kissed his cheek and gave him a smile of encouragement before she left his office. She had to take care of a few things, and then she had a plane to catch. She was going to see Renee Rienne.

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It was safe to say that Jack wasn't happy with the outcome of Sydney's meeting with Renee, and the events following. He had been furious and scolded her for being anywhere near people like Curtis and Gordon Dean while she was pregnant. Sydney had tried her best to calm him down, and had tried her best to convince him that her involvement in all of this was for the best. Jack knew she was right, but was still not happy.

"Sydney, you and your baby are all I have. I don't want to lose you. I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself and your baby, but….."

"I know dad, I know." He didn't have to tell her how worried he was for her safety. She could read that all over his face. "After we get back from my ultrasound do you want to go out for dinner or eat in?"

"Eat in. That way we can talk freely." He had been there with Sydney for all her doctor's appointments, and he expected he would be there for everything else that had to do with the baby. That probably involved building the baby's crib, which he wasn't all that thrilled about. He could still remember how building Sydney's crib had been very difficult. Irina had mostly built the crib by herself when he believed that the instructions were in a language not known to man. To this day he still believed that. The phone in his office rang and it broke his thought. "I should get that. You should get some rest before your doctor's appointment." She smiled at him and left his office.

When he was done with his phone conversation he sat back in his chair puzzled. _'Why didn't he take the job? It's a lucrative one to pass up.'_ There was only one way to find out. He walked out of his office and spotted Weiss sitting at his desk. He had been happy that he and Dixon had been by Sydney's side in the involvement with Curtis and Dean. She was always well looked after when they were around. "Eric, do you have a minute?"

"Sure Jack. What's up?"

"I just got a call from Washington telling me how fortunate I am to still have you be a part of my team, and that they were sorry you didn't accept their job. Why didn't you take the job? It's a great opportunity for you and a very lucrative job."

"Not really, Jack. Yeah sure, it was a bigger position and it paid a lot more, but it wouldn't have made me happy." He sighed deeply and took a look at what used to be Vaughn's desk, and then the desk where Nadia used to sit. "With Vaughn dead, Sydney needs all the help she can get. Especially, now that she's pregnant. She needs her friends." He realized what he'd said and looked at Jack apologetically. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to imply that you're not there for Sydney, because you are."

Jack smiled a little at Weiss.

"It's okay, I wasn't offended. Go on."

"Well, it's not just Sydney. It's the job too. I like it here, and I like the people I work with. It's like we're one big family. Sydney's the sister, and Marshall is the annoying little brother. Sure he's nice and you love him, but at times he just talks too much. Marcus is the wise older brother, and you…..well, you're kind of like the dad….eeeehhhh or more like an uncle." By the expression on Jack's face he wasn't really sure how he felt to be referred to as a father-like type to anyone other than Sydney. Maybe uncle wasn't exactly the best expression either, but it was the best thing he could come up with.

Jack didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Oh." That was all he said, and Weiss felt he better move on.

"Then there's Nadia. I know there's a chance she might never wake up, and that she might die." He shivered at the thought. "But I can't leave her. She doesn't even know how I feel about her, Jack. She doesn't know how much I….how much I love her."

He had never told Sydney that he was in love with her sister, though it was possible that she knew. He had to admit he was not good at hiding his feelings. After spending time with Nadia before Sovogda, he had often come home and found himself looking like a lovesick puppy dog in the mirror. It felt good to finally tell someone how he really felt about her.

Jack wasn't sure how to respond to Weiss. Matters of the heart were not something he was good at talking about. But after studying Weiss a little closely, he felt comfortable enough to respond.

"Nadia is lucky to have you, Eric. And I think you should tell her that you love her. I think that'll help her heal." Being a little surprised by Jack's words he returned the smile Jack gave him. "And I'm glad you're staying. You're definitely needed here in every way."

"Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled and nodded in return. He went back to his office, and looked out at Weiss. He felt bad that they had to lie to him about Vaughn's death. He was after all his best friend. But the fewer people who knew about Vaughn the better. Weiss would probably yell at them when he found out that they had been lying to him, but he would also come around. After all, Weiss wasn't the kind of person to hold a grudge.

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Later that night Jack and Sydney had just finished dinner at her place, and Jack was now looking at the ultrasound picture of his grandchild. A tiny smile was spread across his face.

"So, have you talked to mom lately?"

Jack looked up.

"We've written emails back and forth to each other."

"You haven't talked together in a chat room?"

"No, not since we planned Vaughn's 'death'."

"Oh okay." She was playing with her leftover food on her plate, a question playing on her mind. _'You might as well just ask him. Get it over with' _"Uuuhhmm dad, you think I could get mom's email address?"

"I don't think that's a good idea Sydney."

She got a little mad with his responds.

"And why not?"

"For your own safety. Remember what Chase said?"

"I don't give a damn about Chase." Her angry outburst surprised him. "Her threat is not stopping you from getting in contact with mom. Why should it stop me? All I want is to be able to tell her about my pregnancy myself. I'm tired of having to have you tell her about that through emails." She was screaming at the top of her lungs by the time she finished, and immediately broke down crying. Jack was by her side at once, and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry, dad. I didn't mean to yell at you." She was trying to dry her tears, but they kept coming. "It's just, just…..hormones."

"It's okay sweetheart. I understand."

She pushed him away roughly and spat at him.

"How can you possibly understand? You don't have a clue of what I'm going through. You're a man, you can never get pregnant. You don't have to deal with sore breasts, hormones that are all over the place. One minute you're happy, but the next minute you're crying your eyes out over the silliest things. Don't tell my you understand. Don't you dare tell me that." She was pointing her finger at Jack, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Hearing his daughter talk about her sore breasts wasn't something he could really handle. But it was soon lost from his thoughts when Sydney threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

He hugged her tightly and kissed the side of her head.

"It's okay sweetheart. I'm here for you. You can yell at me all you want, and cry on my shoulder anytime you need to." He tried to comfort her, the best he could, but he realized she needed something else. Someone else. He took her face in his hands and dried her tears. "I'll set up a secure email address, so that you can write to your mother, and I'll let her know. She'll be happy to hear from you."

"You'll do that for me?" She saw the expression in her father's eyes and knew the answer to her own question. "You'll do anything for me," she stated. He nodded and she kissed his cheek. "I love you, dad."

"I love you too sweetheart." They hugged for a while longer before Sydney had gotten her emotions in control. "Tell you what. Why don't we hurry up and clear the dishes, and then go out for a Sunday ice-cream. Would you like to do that?"

She smiled at her father.

"Yeah, I would love to do that."

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lady-josie:** Thank you very much for thinking it's well written. :-) I'm really thrilled that you thought the scene with Jack and Nadia was touching, and that you thought Jack's talk with Weiss was sweet. To me Weiss just had to stay - it wouldn't be the same without him - you just gotta love that guy. *lol* I hope you continue to stay positive no matter what direction this story goes in. There'll be other chapters Irina will be missing from - sorry but I can't fit every character into every chapter. *lol* This story contains 45 chapters and the sequel is not included in that. Thank you :-) - I hope you had a nice Easter too and thank you again for liking my story - I really appreciate it. :-)

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**Chapter 5**

Irina was sitting in her office reading Sydney's latest email. She read about the new girl, Rachel Gibson, who joined APO, and who went through the same thing Sydney went through, when she worked for SD-6, and thought it was a part of CIA. About Dean and Peyton who were involved with Prophet 5, and the missions Sydney and the team had gone on to prevent them. And how Sloane was set free at one time to try and get a cure for Nadia, and now was completely pardoned.

Irina couldn't believe how he had gotten a full pardon, and from what Sydney wrote neither could she or Jack, though they had backed him up, because of his involvement in Sovogda. Irina sighed and rubbed her hands over her head.

"I guess this means your father is free to visit you, Nadia. For your sake I hope he does."

This certainly freed Jack of having to visit her. Jack had written about his visits to Nadia, but they didn't say much. Granted, Nadia was still in a coma, but he hadn't written what he had been doing when he was there.

She had been a bit puzzled by the names Dean, Peyton, and Prophet 5. So, to get her mind off of the longing she had for her children, she decided it was time to investigate. She grabbed the phone and started to make some calls.

She had been up all night researching and found all the information she needed. Papers and maps were spread all over her floor and desk, and she was busy writing things down. That's how Sergei found her.

"Irina you should've gone to bed. It's not good for you to stay up all night."

"Sergei my dear, are you implying that I'm old?" She cocked one eye at him, but she wasn't mad.

"No, I wouldn't dream of doing that," he laughed. "So, what's up with all of this?"

"I'm getting back in the game."

"You're what?" He couldn't believe what he heard. "Irina, you can't. You just got back, you can't leave again."

"I have to. You know I can't leave this alone."

"What about us?"

"You know I'm doing this for all of us. If there was another way out I would gladly stay here, but there isn't."

"I don't want anything to happen to you." She saw the concern in his eyes and got up to give him a hug.

"I love you too, Sergei."

He looked at her and knew there was no way out of it.

"When will you make the arrangements?"

"I'll make the call this afternoon."

They looked at each other and knew that her absence in the house would be hard to deal with.

"It won't be easy, Irina, but I'm here. I'll always be here for you."

Tears started to form in her eyes, and soon a couple of them escaped her eyes. She swallowed a few times before she got control of her voice.

"I know and that means the world to me."

"When will you tell…..?"

"Tonight, when the arrangements have been made."

"You believe that you'll be accepted?"

"Yes, of course. Who knows more about Rambaldi than me?"

She was right, and he nodded. He might not like what she was going to do, but he couldn't help but be proud.

"They won't know what hit them."

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The morning passed by quickly and it was time to make the call.

"_Hello."_

"Hello McKenas. How are you?"

"_Irina__? Is that really you?"_

"Yes, of course."

"_My, my, my. Just how did you get my number, if you don't mind me asking?"_

"You're not underestimating my abilities, are you?"

"_I suppose that would be wrong. What can I do for you?"_

"I've heard about Prophet 5 and what it involves. I want in."

"_And just how did you hear about that?"_

"McKenas, didn't we just go over that part?"

"_Yes, I believe we did. And you actually believe you can help?"_

"I don't believe I can help, I know I can help. And you need me."

"_Well now, it seems I can't tell you a lie. Very well then. Just to make sure, are you absolutely positive you want to be part of this? I me__an, we might be going after your daughters."_

Irina gave a throaty laugh into the phone.

"McKenas, my dear, we use people in our business. I'll hurt the people I have to, in order to reach my goal."

"_Irina__, that is music to my ears, simply music. Alright, you're in."_

"I would expect nothing less."

They made further arrangements and Irina wired money to one of McKenas' secret bank accounts.

"_We'll be in touch. I look forward to working with__ you."_

"Likewise McKenas, likewise."

Irina sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Oh yes, McKenas. You can be sure I'll hurt people in order to reach my goal."

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Back in LA, Arvin Sloane watched as Gordon Dean walked away. He had been told that they didn't have a cure for Nadia after all, but he didn't really care. He would eventually tell Jack and Sydney that he had gone along with Dean's plans in order to find a cure for Nadia. But that was all a lie. He had his own goals and he didn't care who he used in order to reach them. When he was in Sovogda he could smell the powers of Rambaldi's work, and he knew greater things were in store.

'_I'll make them believe I have reformed and that I regret my sins.'_ Those were his thoughts when Dean had given him a chance to get pardoned. A phone call woke him from his sweet daydreams about Rambaldi. "McKenas, good to hear from you again. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"_You'll never believe who just joined our team."_

"Who?"

"_Irina Derevko herself. We got money from her and everything. It's amazing that we got her. She can help solve the things we can't. Arvin I can taste sweet success in the near future."_

"So she finally came around. I knew it was only a matter of time. I knew she couldn't resist the powers of Rambaldi. Thank you for letting me know."

"_Sweet success Arvin, sweet success."_

"Indeed. I'll be in touch." He hung up the phone and looked in the direction Dean had left. "Well, I guess, I won't be needing you anymore." It was time to come 'clean' to Jack and Sydney. He left feeling satisfied and could smell sweet success in the future.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Lady-josie: **Aaaawww - thank you. *blush* Thank you very much :-)- I hope you'll continue to think it's exciting and interesting. I'm really thrilled and I appreciate that you like my writing style. Glad to hear you had a nice Easter. Yes, thank you, my Easter was very nice.

**vitnux:** Thank you - I'm glad you think so. :-) You'll find out about Irina's plan soon enough, but you'll have to wait longer to find out who Sergei is, because I'm not telling. *lol* Thank you very much for liking my story. :-)

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**Chapter 6**

Sloane told Jack and Sydney how he went along with Dean in hopes of finding a cure for Nadia. He could see that they had their reservations, but that Sydney also believed him a little.

'_Sydney, you're so easy to manipulate. You must have inherited that from your father. You're both such fools. If you would only believe in Rambaldi like Irina. I would love to see what you would do to her, if you knew that she's at this moment working on Rambaldi again. But you won't have to worry about that. I'll take care of her when she's no longer needed.__'_

The more he talked about his so-called love for Nadia, the more he could see that Sydney believed him. That was good enough for him to know, because Jack would go along with Sydney.

A few weeks later Dean had been captured and Sloane had killed him and made it look like suicide. Everyone thought Dean had killed himself by eating a cyanide pill, and no one suspected Sloane. Now Sloane was drinking champagne with Peyton, toasting to another success in their plan.

"Soon our plan will be fulfilled, Peyton. All our dreams will come true."

"I can't wait. It certainly feels great to be rid of Dean."

"Yes, indeed. Did McKenas fill you in on our newest asset to the team?"

"Yes, he told me Irina had joined. I must admit I have my doubts about her."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It just seems like she's helped her children and the CIA far too many times in trying to stop Rambaldi."

"She's just covering her tracks. If she gains Sydney's trust, she'll gain Jack's trust, and they'll never know what hit them. Don't worry about Irina. Her loyalties are to Rambaldi."

"If you say so." Peyton still had her doubts. "I believe I'm the one who'll be working closely with Irina?"

"Yes. Irina doesn't know about my involvement yet, and I'd like it to stay that way for as long as possible."

"I thought you just said Irina was on our side?"

"Oh she most definitely is. But you must understand that Irina and I share a past. A certain thing happened in the past that I know Irina still hasn't forgiven me for."

"Sounds interesting. Care to tell me about it?"

"No. That's between Irina and me. Just remember that you're not to touch one single hair on Irina's head."

"Fine, I won't." She smiled at Sloane, and obeyed his wishes. _'I'll keep an eye on her and see just which side she's really on.'_

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Jack sat by his computer waiting for Irina to log on to the chat room. He had just gotten home from visiting Sydney, and he was now even more convinced that the instructions on how to assemble a crib was in a language not know to man. It had taken him four tries to assemble it, and he had actually thought he'd gotten it in the first try.

'_You'll never hear the end of it from Sydney__, Jack.' _He couldn't help but smile though. Despite the many attempts on putting the crib together he and Sydney had had a wonderful evening. They had had many of those, and he regretted how much he had missed out on her life when she was growing up. He looked at the screen and saw Irina had logged on.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Hello Jack. How are you?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Just fine thanks. You?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Can't complain much. Miss my girls though.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ They miss you too. Well, Sydney does. Nadia….you know.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Yes, I know. How's Sydney? She tells me, but I'm not sure she's completely honest.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ She's fine. Wondering about Vaughn. The usual.

_Dolly_Patton_x2:_ And Nadia? Have you been to see her recently?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Yes. There's no change. We're still looking for a cure.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Thank you Jack.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ What did you want to talk to me about?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Prophet 5 is Rambaldi related somehow. I've joined McKenas Cole's team to find out the answers. Peyton is a part of that team too. But I'm sure they're not the only ones.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ You've done what? Irina, are you insane?

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ No Jack, I'm not. I can't just sit by and do nothing when it involves the safety of my children. Joining their team was the only thing I could do. They need to be destroyed from the inside. It's the only way, Jack. You, Sydney, and I will work together and share information. This time we will end this once and for all.

Jack was mad, but realized she was right. Once she set her mind to something there was no stopping her. He also knew it was the only way for Sydney and Nadia to be safe.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ You're right. Just be careful.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ I will Jack. I'm sending you all the information I have so far, and will continue to update you. Could you please tell Sydney?

_Johnny_Cash2:_ Yes, I'll tell her.

_Dolly_Parton_x2:_ Thank you. Jack, I need to go now. I'll be in touch. Take care and stay safe.

_Johnny_Cash2:_ You too.

_Dolly_Parton_x2 has logged off._

Jack kept his eyes on the computer screen a while longer. He couldn't believe what she was doing. She never could stay out of trouble. Just another one of those 'great' qualities Sydney had inherited from one of her parents.

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The next day Jack went to visit Nadia, and was met by Sloane.

"Jack, what are you doing here?"

Jack was a little surprised to see him there, though he really shouldn't be.

"Sydney asked me to check up on Nadia." He lied.

"Good, good. Please thank her for me." Jack didn't really care for Sloane's slick tone, and just gave him a nod. "Dr. Blake called me in. He wanted to talk to me about Nadia."

"Oh okay. I can leave if you want and come back later."

"No, Jack stay, stay. I want you to stay." Jack knew that the only reason Sloane wanted him to stay was so that Sloane could rub it in that he had a daughter with Irina. It was visible all over his face, and Sloane could see that Jack wasn't all that comfortable.

"Mr. Sloane. Hi Jack."

"Hi Peter."

"Hello, Dr. Blake. I asked Jack to stay. I do hope, it's okay?"

"It's fine. It's up to you."

"Then he's staying. What was so urgent that you needed to see me this morning?"

"Nadia needs blood from someone in her family. The closer, the better. Sydney can't give blood, because of her pregnancy, and I guess her mother is not nearby."

"No, but her father is." He smiled triumphantly and Jack had to look away.

"She needs the DNA in your blood, so it has nothing to do with your blood type. We'll mix some drugs together with your blood, and we'll give that to Nadia. The sooner she gets the mix the better."

"Doctor, I'll do anything for my daughter. Let's get on with it. Jack will you please excuse us?"

"Yes, of course. I'll just look in on Nadia for a brief moment."

"Thank you, Jack. It really means a lot to be that you're looking in on my daughter." Jack only nodded at him and they went their separate ways.

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Late in the afternoon Jack was sitting at home looking through some of the papers Irina had sent when his phone rang.

"Bristow."

"_Jack, it's Peter."_

Peter didn't usually call Jack, so he was immediately alarmed.

"What's wrong?"

"_It's Nadia. Look Jack, I think you better come to the hospital."_

"Is she alright?"

"_I think you just better get here, Jack."_

"Should I call Sydney or Arvin?"

"_No, Jack, I only want to talk to you."_

"Okay, I'll leave right away."

"_Good. Just come up to my office, and we'll talk there."_

"Yes, alright." He hung up the phone, and couldn't understand why Peter wanted to talk to him about Nadia, and that he didn't want to talk to Sydney or Sloane. But when Peter said he really needed to talk to him, there was no mistaken that.

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It didn't take long for Jack to get to the hospital and he knocked on Peter's door.

"Come in."

"Peter. What's this about? Is Nadia alright?"

Peter saw the worried look in Jack's eyes, and there was no easy way to break the news.

"You better sit down, Jack." He stood up from his chair and walked around so that he was facing Jack while leaning on his desk. "You know how Nadia needed DNA from a close family member this morning, and Sloane provided us with that?"

"Yes Peter, I was standing right next to you. Would you just please tell me what's going on with Nadia?" It was obvious that Jack was losing his patience, so Peter thought he'd better move on quickly.

"Right. Well, you see, we tested Sloane's blood to see if there was anything in it that wasn't dangerous to Sloane but could be lethal to Nadia."

"And did you find anything?"

"No, we didn't."

"Then honestly, Peter, I don't understand why you called me down here."

"Jack, we had to test Nadia's DNA against Sloane's to give her the exact treatment, and we found out that their DNA's don't match."

"Just what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that there is no way on earth that Arvin Sloane is Nadia's father. We checked ten times just to be absolutely sure."

"Oh my god, I don't believe it."

"I realize it must come as quite a shock to you, Jack."

Jack was beside himself. He didn't know what to do, or what would happen to Nadia.

"Can't you take some of Sydney's blood? Just a small amount? I might be able to get Irina to come. I mean of course she'll come when Nadia's life depends on it, but it might take a couple of days. Or what about blood from an aunt? Her aunt Katya is in prison here. She's much closer than Irina. Is there any way that would work?"

"Jack, don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"Are you telling me, you don't see it?"

"See what? Could you just tell me what you're going on about?"

He looked at Jack and saw that he indeed didn't have a clue. There was no easy way to tell Jack, so he thought he'd better just tell him, before Jack tore his head clean off.

"Jack, when Irina was extracted, she was pregnant with Nadia, right?" Jack simply nodded, and still didn't get it. "I don't want to get your hopes up, or make you go through unnecessary pain, but there is a chance you're Nadia's father."

"What?" Jack was in shock.

"Jack, you have to admit it's a possibility. You had Sydney together, so it's quite possible you had Nadia too."

Jack's throat had gone dry, so he had to swallow a few times before he could go on.

"We talked about having more children back then, but Irina said that her doctor had told her, it would be hard for her to conceive again. When I found out about Nadia I thought I'd been the reason we couldn't have more children. But I suppose that was a lie. I guess she just didn't want anymore with me, and that Nadia was conceived with Arvin as part of the Rambaldi puzzle."

"Maybe she couldn't risk having more children with you Jack. It's possible that she got orders from the KGB to not have anymore children."

That could be true. She did after all love her children.

"I guess that's possible."

"Yeah. Just like it's possible that you're Nadia's father. Jack, if you're not her father then I'm really sorry. But I would like to do a paternity test. Nadia needs the blood, the DNA."

"Of course. Do what you have to do."

He was pretty emotionless, and didn't display much emotion when they took a small amount of his blood that would be used for the test. He was too deep in thought. As he waited for the result a millions thoughts entered his mind. Had Irina known? Was that why she had asked him to spent time with Nadia. She had hinted at it the last time she was in CIA custody, but of course she hadn't been very specific. She was always playing her little games. The mission to Sovogda and everything following those events had prevented him from looking into the matter. He had simply forgotten all about it. Then there was the time when her father needed to be present, so her location could be revealed. But that had to do with Rambaldi. "You were never a believer in Rambaldi before Jack, do not start believing now. A paternity test, and _only_ a paternity test will tell you the truth."

Thirty minutes later Peter came back with the results. Jack snapped his head up immediately when he heard Peter enter the room, and he was anything but calm.

"Well?"

"I think you better read for yourself." He handed Jack the results, and there it was. The proof that Jack was Nadia's father. A tiny smile formed on Jack's lips. "Congratulations Jack. She couldn't get a better father." Jack was speechless and could only nod a little. "We better start taking your blood. Come on."

When Jack had finished giving blood, he went to Nadia's room. He stood there just looking down at her, down at his daughter, and then bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Hi Nadia, it's Jack. It's dad."

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Lady-josie: **Thank you :-) - I'm thrilled that you loved the chapter that much. To me someone as sweet as Nadia could never have Sloane for her father. Oh yes, Sloane was definitely an ass to Jack. Peter couldn't have told Jack sooner, because he had to take some of Sloane's blood first and test it - after he tested it he found out that Nadia and Sloane didn't share the same DNA - when he discovered this Jack was gone and since Peter can't stand Sloane but respects Jack, he was going to talk to Jack first no matter what. Irina's not out to hurt Jack and her children, and she also needs help in ending Rambaldi. Thank you very much for thinking that - you're much too kind. *blush*

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**Chapter 7**

Jack had been sitting by Nadia's side for hours, and he had finally fully realized that he was her father. He had needed time to get used to the news, but he had been happy about it the minute he had known. Peter had looked in on him a few times and now came back again.

"I couldn't find any chocolate cigars to celebrate, so I hope a Mars bar is okay." Jack accepted the candy and started to eat it. "So, when will you be telling Sloane that he's not Nadia's father?"

"I won't be telling him."

"What? Why not Jack? You are happy that you're her father, aren't you?"

"Yes extremely, but Nadia is in a coma, and the fact that I'm her father won't change her. However, I'm afraid that it might change Arvin."

"What are you getting at?"

"When he found out that he had a daughter, he changed for the better. And of course recently he even got involved with Gordon Dean to try and find a cure for her. Or so he says."

"You don't believe him?"

"I have my doubts."

"Then isn't that the more reason to tell him that he isn't her father. What if he doesn't have Nadia's best interest at heart?"

"Even if he doesn't, he has to keep up appearances for Sydney and me. If he doesn't then he knows he's screwed. There's also the chance of Arvin finding a cure for Nadia, and I'm not going to ruin the chances of that happening."

Peter could understand Jack's point of view, and knew it was best not to push the matter any further. If Jack had made up his mind then that was that.

"Will you tell Sydney?"

"Yes, but she's the only one I'll tell. The fewer people who know about this the better." Jack could read the question on Peter's mind, and answered him before he asked. "No, I won't be telling Irina. Not yet." He looked at his watch and sighed. "It's late. I should get going."

"Okay. I'll leave you alone to say goodbye to your daughter. See you tomorrow, Jack." He left the room, and Jack stood there looking at Nadia for a few moments before he kissed her cheek goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart." Then he left.

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The next day Jack had asked Sydney to meet him for lunch at a remote location in LA. He had said he would bring sandwiches.

"While I don't understand why you wanted to meet me all the way out here, I really appreciate being this far away from APO. Sloane went on and on about how he was the only one able to help Nadia in her time of need. 'She needed my DNA, Sydney, my help will cure my precious little girl.'" She did an impersonation of how Sloane had said it, even acted out the little face and hand gestures he had made. "Gosh that man is such a prick."

Jack couldn't help but be amused by Sydney's impersonation of Sloane, and the nickname she had for him.

"Hormones acting up again?"

"Yeah. Sorry dad."

"Don't be."

They sat down and started on their lunch. After a few bites of her sandwich, Sydney had to ask about this location her father had chosen for their lunch date.

"Why are we meeting all the way out here anyway?"

"Because, I have something to tell you that are for your ears only. Your eyes too, actually."

"What is it, dad?"

He wiped his fingers on a napkin and handed Sydney the result of the paternity test. He wished he had waited until Sydney had swallowed the mouth full of sandwich. She nearly choked.

"Here, have some water."

She drank the water he offered her, and looked at the paternity test again before looking at her father.

"Dad, is this for real? Are you really Nadia's dad?"

"Yes, I am." He smiled shyly at her, not knowing how she would take the news. But his smile broadened when she gave him a huge smile in return.

"That's wonderful. Right?"

He couldn't help but laugh a little at the change in her voice. She'd been uncertain if he had thought it was wonderful that he was Nadia's father.

"Of course it's wonderful. I'm happy about the news." She let go of her sandwich and hugged him.

"We need to tell everyone. We need to tell Sloane, we need to tell mom, and I've got to tell Eric, and Marcus. Oh and dad, can you just imagine Marshall when we tell him? He's going to be excited. On second thoughts maybe we shouldn't tell him. He gets so emotional with happy news."

She'd been talking so fast that Jack could hardly get a word in.

"Sydney, I think you're hormones have got you worked up again. Just breathe for a minute." When she had calmed down a little he continued. "We're not going to tell anyone. And that's not up for discussion."

"What? Dad we can't keep this a secret to her friends, and Sloane. Dad, Sloane needs to know he's not her father. And what about mom? You can't keep this hidden from her."

"I most certainly can, and I fully intend to. It won't make a difference if people at APO know I'm her father. Finding a cure for Nadia is important, and if Sloane can find that for her, believing he's her father, then so be it."

"But don't you want people to know that you're her father?"

"Yes, I do, but you and I have our suspicions about Sloane, and it might hurt Nadia if we tell him the truth. It's safer that only you and I know. Sydney, I'm protecting her."

She knew he was right, but he had left someone out.

"What about mom, doesn't she at least deserve to know?"

"There's a chance she already knows."

She heard the bitterness in his voice and couldn't believe he was saying that.

"Dad, no. You can't honestly believe that? She wouldn't hide something like this from you."

"Do you remember how long she spent in CIA custody? She didn't mention a word about Nadia. And she didn't tell me anything about her, during the time we spent together looking for the people responsible for your supposed death."

"We've all come a long way since the first time mom was in CIA custody. Besides, if she thought Nadia was dead, what would be the point of telling you that you had another baby together?"

"If that had been the case, then I would still have liked to have known about my child."

"Maybe mom wanted to spare you the hurt?"

"Since when does your mother give a damn about my feelings? If she did, she would've told me years ago that she was KGB. She would've told me the truth years ago."

He was angry and it was visible. He hadn't been angry at Irina when they left Sovogda. His anger towards her hadn't happened until yesterday when he learned the truth about Nadia. He had thought more about her comment before leaving for Sovogda. She had only hinted that he might be the father. She had played her little mind game, and Jack was now more convinced than ever that she had known all along that he was Nadia's father.

Sydney couldn't help but feel helpless. She wanted nothing more than for her parents to get along, and especially now that they were both Nadia's parents too. But she could also understand where her father was coming from. Her mother still needed to tell her father the truth about their life together before her extraction. Regardless of what the truth might be. Sydney needed to hear it as well.

"Fine dad. We'll keep it between you and me." She wasn't sure how she should go about asking her next question, so her speech was a bit nervous. "Dad, you do believe that mom is working with us and not against us, now that she's working on the inside with Peyton and Cole, right?"

He sighed and smiled a little at her. He had after all made her worry.

"Yes, of course, Sydney. I don't doubt that. At this moment, other than the love she has for you and Nadia that's the only thing, I know to be true about your mother. She _is_ working with us."

Sydney breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Good, good."

He picked up her sandwich that was still lying on the table.

"Eat your food, your baby needs it."

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**vitnux:** Thank you very much - I'm glad you think so. But will Sloane ever know that he's not Nadia's father and will Nadia ever know? *devil* I'm thrilled you loved the dialogue between them - I had fun writing it. Yeah, it's definitely understandable that Jack's angry.

**Lady-josie:** *lol* - I'm glad I could cure your hangover and put a smile on your face. I'm glad you thought both conversations were very interesting. I agree with you regarding what you said about the comment in 4.21. My pleasure - I had no intention of leaving the comment from the episode out seeing as I was starting my story at the end of season 4, and seeing as I fully intended on making Nadia Jack's. I'm glad you liked Jack's feelings - yeah they're bound to be mixed. Thank you very much for thinking that about my writing - you really are much too kind. *blush*

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**Chapter 8**

Irina had gone over the same page in one of the Rambaldi manuscripts over and over again, each time hoping the result of her findings were different than the previous result. But she always ended up with the same result. Sydney was the only one, who could tell them where The Horizon was, and she was not happy that her daughter had to be dragged into their search for The Horizon. She just wanted to keep her out of this, keep her safe. She just wanted to keep all of her children safe. One day this would end and then they'd all be safe. Or so Irina hoped. She quickly masked her feelings when Peyton entered.

"So Irina, what did you find out?"

"Sydney is the key. Somewhere in her subconscious mind she knows where The Horizon is."

"Good. Then I suggest we kidnap her. We'll get her somewhere far away from her daddy dearest and the rest of the CIA. There we'll let her go through various experiments until she gives on the location of The Horizon."

"No." Irina kept her calm, but in reality she wanted to slit Peyton's throat for what she wanted to put her baby girl through.

"And why not Irina? I thought you didn't give a damn about Sydney or Nadia. You said they meant nothing to you. Are you telling me now that they mean something to you? That they're more important to you than Rambaldi?"

Peyton had watched Irina's every move during all the time they'd spent together. Studying her to see, if she would give any indication that she was working against them. She hadn't shown any sign of this before, but maybe now was the time.

Irina knew that Peyton was suspicious of her, so she had to be very careful with everything she did. She laughed throatily at Peyton.

"Don't be silly, Peyton. Nothing is more important to me than Rambaldi. But I am Sydney's mother. She trusts me. I will simply go to her, and exploit that trust. I'll tell her that we didn't finish Rambaldi, and that's what I'm doing in order to keep her safe, but that I need her help to do so. She will buy the lie easily. I will play the loving mother, and I will play it well."

Peyton eyed her. She was still convinced that Irina was up to no good.

"I won't go along with that plan. We will kidnap Sydney, and put her through torture until she reveals the location of The Horizon."

Irina tipped her head slightly to one side, a superior smile spread across her lips.

"You seem to forget who's in charge. Do you want me to call McKenas again, so he can explain it to you one more time?"

Peyton was furious, but tried to keep her feelings in control. Because of Irina's deep knowledge into Rambaldi, McKenas had put her in charge of the last things they needed in order to make Rambaldi's greatest work of all come true. She had not been happy about that, and looked forward to the day when Irina would learn that Sloane was a part of their team too.

"No, you don't."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make my arrangements for my trip to LA." She walked passed Peyton who grabbed her arm hard.

"You mean _our_ trip to LA. I'm not letting you go alone."

Irina wanted nothing more than to kick Peyton to the floor for holding on to her, but she thought it'd be best to play it cool. She let Peyton keep a hold on her.

"No, I'm going alone. I'll be able to get what we need by pretending I give a damn about Sydney. Now please let go of my arm." Peyton let her go, and just before Irina left the room she looked back at her. "Don't follow me, Peyton. You'll only end up screwing everything up that we've worked so hard to achieve."

Irina got to her good, and Peyton was still seething with anger in the minutes following Irina's leaving.

"I'll be watching you, Derevko. You might have fooled McKenas and Sloane, but you haven't fooled me."

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Jack and Sydney were sitting at Sydney's place waiting for Irina. He had told everyone at APO that he was taking a personal day, so that he could spent more time with Sydney, now that she was so close to giving birth. At first they thought he had been joking, but then they remembered that Jack Bristow was not the kind of man to make jokes. He was not the one to take personal days either, but they had all seen the changes in him. Maybe in the near future Jack Bristow would actually go on a vacation, they had thought.

Jack had received an email a few days ago, explaining Irina was coming and why. She had found a safe way to make Sydney reveal the location of The Horizon. She would be hypnotized. They were both lost in thought when they heard the doorbell. Sydney immediately smiled, but Jack was his old stoic self. He didn't display much emotion, and she knew that he wouldn't while her mother was here.

Sydney opened the door, and tears immediately ran down her cheeks at the sight of Irina.

"Mom." She threw her arms around Irina and Irina did the same.

"Sweetheart." After the sensation of having her daughter in her arms again, she stepped back a bit while still holding on to Sydney, and just looked at her pregnant daughter. "You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart."

"You're just saying that because you're my mother. I'm a mess, and I look like a whale."

She couldn't help but laugh at Sydney's comment.

"No, you don't. Pregnancy suits you. You're absolutely glo…."

"Don't, mom. Don't say it. If another person tells me I'm glowing, there's no telling what I'll do."

Irina laughed again.

"Oh sweetheart, how I've missed you." They hugged again before leaving the doorway. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. I'll give you the grand tour later. Right now I think we should get started. Rachel will be home at 5.30 p.m." Rachel had moved in with Sydney when she had joined APO. With Vaughn away and Nadia in a coma she had needed some company. Rachel had been more than happy to accept seeing as she was new to everything. Irina turned around and spotted Jack on the couch. She gave him a soft smile.

"Hello Jack. It's good to see you again."

However, Jack didn't seem to be all that friendly towards her, she noticed. He didn't really smile, and his voice didn't really hold any warmth.

"Irina."

She didn't know what to make of his short reply. Obviously something was going on with him, but she didn't have a clue. She looked at him a little more intensely to see if she could find out what was bothering him, but when she couldn't she thought they should get on with things.

"Shall we get started?"

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The hypnosis went well, and Sydney had revealed the location of The Horizon. They would leave for Vancouver the next day. They would portray an Italian family, but looking between her mother and father, Sydney had no idea how they were going to pull that off at this moment. They looked nothing like a happy family.

'_Dad acts so cold towards mom, and she doesn't have a clue of what's going. At least I don't think so. She must have had good reason to think that Sloane was Nadia's dad'_ She didn't really want to think about what that reason was. Whatever it was, it would be hurtful to her father. _'Oh this should be a fun mission tomorrow.'_

After having made all the final arrangements, Irina had called Peyton to let her know that she had been successful in getting Sydney and Jack to trust her, and that The Horizon was at a bank in Vancouver. Jack and Sydney had been by Irina's side when she made the call, listening to their conversation. Peyton's voice had made the hair on Sydney's neck stand up. She hated her.

At the moment they were sitting at the coffee table talking about what had been going on since the last time they all saw each other. Well, it was mostly Sydney and Irina doing the talking. Jack was still being stoic, and sat for most of the conversation silently by. Irina especially noticed that when ever they spoke about Nadia, he didn't move a muscle.

'_Has it really been that hard for him to visit her? He never indicated that in his emails. It was probably asking too much.'_

Sydney looked at her watch.

"We should probably get going. Rachel will be home shortly."

"Okay. Where exactly are we going?"

"We thought, we could just pick up some food on the way, and then find somewhere no one would see us. Maybe the beach."

"That sounds wonderful. I've really missed the beach." She looked at Jack, but he wasn't giving her the time of day.

"Okay, let's go then." Jack walked out of the house first, and opened the trunk of his car. Sydney was shocked at what she thought her dad had planned on doing. "Dad, no. You're not putting mom in the trunk." That brought back memories of their first mission together. He closed the trunk and revealed a blanket in his hand.

"I was just getting this. Your mother will stay in the backseat covered by the blanket, until we get to the beach."

"Oh. Sorry dad."

"Let's just go."

Sydney hadn't been the only one who thought he was going to throw Irina in the trunk. She had thought it herself, and wouldn't have put it past Jack the way he was behaving.

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They enjoyed their time at the beach together. That is Sydney and Irina did. Jack still didn't say much.

When they were at the car ready to leave Irina stopped.

"Have either of you given any thought to where I'll be staying tonight?"

"No, I haven't even thought about that. I would love for you to stay with me, but Rachel is there. She can't know you're here. I guess that means you'll be staying with dad?"

She looked at Jack, and he actually spoke for the first time in hours.

"I suppose that's the only other alternative." He did not look happy about it, and Irina was not really looking forward to staying at his place for the night.

"I guess it makes sense, since we'll all be leaving together in the morning."

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After dropping Sydney off at her place, Jack and Irina drove back to his place in uncomfortable silence. It wasn't until they were inside his apartment that he spoke to her.

"It's been a long day for both of us, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so we should get to bed."

"We've spent all day together, and this is actually only the fourth time you've said more than five words to me."

"I'm not in the mood to talk, Irina."

"No obviously not, since you've been ignoring me all day. Jack what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I'm tired and I just want to get some sleep."

"Do you think I'm involved with Rambaldi again? Is that what's bothering you? Because if it is, I can tell you right now that I'm not. I'm doing this to keep my children safe."

Jack got more and more angry and more and more annoyed with her.

"No, I don't believe that."

"Then what is it, Jack?"

"I'm going to bed."

She sighed. Obviously she couldn't get him to talk to her.

"Jack, I don't think I thanked you in person for taking care of Nadia. It means a lot to me that you would do that, and I'm sorry if that's the reason you're upset."

She was being sincere, but it made Jack snap. He spun around, and was furious.

"Why would it upset me to take care of my own daughter?"

"What?" Had she just heard him right? Did he really just say _his_ daughter?

"Oh don't act all surprised. You knew all along that she was mine and you didn't say a word."

"She's yours?"

"Stop playing games. I'm sick of your little mind games."

"I'm not playing any games. I didn't know she was yours. Honestly."

"Like hell you did. Why else would you have hinted at it last time you were in CIA custody, before we left for Sovogda?"

"I only thought there was a slight possibility that you were her father. I dropped the hint, so that you would look into it yourself. I couldn't very well get the test done, if I was back in custody or somewhere else."

"Did you sleep with so many men during our marriage that you lost track of the men, who could've fathered Nadia?"

This time is was her turn to lose her temper, and she spat at him.

"No Jack. I never slept with anyone other than you during our marriage."

"Really? Then how the hell could Arvin think that he was Nadia's father? You tell me that."

"I'm not going to talk to you about that."

"I think I'm entitled to an answer."

"Well, you're not going to get one."

Tempers were still flaring between them, and Jack was too worked up to let it go.

"You always acted like you never liked him, but maybe you were really secretly in love with him. Is that why, you slept with him?"

"Shut up, Jack."

"Or maybe he had something that was of value to you and your precious KGB. You screwed me because of Project Christmas, so what did you screw him for?"

"I told you to shut up. Just shut the hell up."

He was in her face by now.

"Tell me Irina. You owe me that much. Why did you sleep with Arvin? Why?"

"He raped me, Jack, he raped me. Are you satisfied now? He raped me." Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she refused to let them.

Jack was in shock, and most of his rage had disappeared.

"He did what?"

"I'm not saying it again."

"Why did he do it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He started getting angry again.

"You just can't leave it at that. I want to know why."

"I'm not going to tell you why. I would just really like to go to sleep now, if you don't mind"

"I do mind. Just tell me."

"Get it through your thick head that I don't want to talk about it. I just want to sleep."

Both their chests were heaving from screaming at each other.

"Fine. You can have the bed. I just put fresh sheets on this morning."

"Don't do me any favors Jack. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Suit yourself." He walked out of the living room and slammed the door to his bedroom.

Irina stripped down to her underwear and tank-top. She took the blanket that was lying on the chair, and used one of the cushions as her pillow. Once under the blanket she sighed deeply, and the tears that threaten to fall earlier were now soaking the blanket.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Lady-josie:** Yeah, Peyton's a real piece of work - I'm thrilled you think I portray her really well - thank you. Care to share your thoughts of what Irina's secret is? *lol* Irina wouldn't harm her children, so she would rather do the non harmful way of getting the information from than a harmful way. I'm sorry I made you cry *blush* but thank you for thinking that about the confrontation between Jack and Irina. I'm glad I didn't disappoint you regarding what Sloane had been referring to earlier. Yeah, to me Irina wouldn't voluntarily have a love affair with Sloane - to me she would've been forced in some way to sleep with him - either by Sloane or the KGB. Thank you so very much. *blush* :-) I hope you'll continue to feel that way no matter which direction I take the story.

**Oracle92: **Thank you very much. :-) I'm thrilled you love it.

**Rishka Derevko: ***blush* Thank you very much - you're much too kind. :-) I hope I can keep up the good work, and that you'll continue to like my story.

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**Chapter 9**

The next morning Jack and Irina didn't speak much. They went on with their business in getting ready for the mission. Irina eyed Jack. She thought he looked relieved. She suspected that he might be relieved that she hadn't voluntarily slept with Sloane. Though after his recent behavior she couldn't be absolutely sure of what went on inside his head. But it seemed there was something else he was relieved about, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Sydney could feel the tension between her parents. Obviously it hadn't been a good idea to have her mother stay at her father's place. She wondered if they had talked about Nadia. If her mother knew that her father was Nadia's father too. She decided to push all thoughts aside and instead concentrate on the mission.

They went about portraying the happy little Italian family to perfection. Sydney couldn't help but smile to herself of the way her parents had acted. They sounded so funny with their Italian accents. Memories of happier times together with her parents when she was just a little girl played on her mind, and she longed for those moments at this point. She hacked into the bank manager's computer while her parents inquired about safety deposit boxes. When she had found the location of The Horizon, she let Jack know through his earpiece, and Irina tranquilized the bank manager. She watched the security cameras and spotted Peyton with a group of five men, killing off the bank's security guards.

"Oh no." She left, running off towards her parents.

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After deactivating the booby trap on The Horizon, Jack handed it to Irina.

"For our daughters."

She took it from him, and could hear the softness in his voice.

"For our daughters." Just then Sydney came into the room slightly out of breath. "What is it sweetheart?"

"Peyton's here with five men. She's killed all the guards."

"What?" Irina was shocked at first but then got angry. "I'm going to kill her. Why couldn't she just stay away? She must have been staking out all the banks here in Vancouver. That's the only way she could know where we were." She looked at Jack hoping he would see that she was really telling the truth. She was glad to see that he did.

"I agree. We need to get to the helicopter right now. It scheduled to be here shortly."

Having watched their movements on the security camera, Peyton followed them. As they almost reached the helicopter she blew it up with a rocket-launcher. They all ran back towards the door they came from.

"We need to get back inside and take her down."

Once inside the building again, Sydney suddenly stopped, putting a hand to her stomach.

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Not now."

Both Jack and Irina stopped in their tracks, and looked back at Sydney concerned.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Baby's coming." That's all she got out before letting out a scream due to contractions.

They were by her side in an instance, and got her seated in one of the more remote rooms, so that she was away from immediate danger.

"Breathe sweetheart, just breathe. You father and I, are here. It's going to be okay."

"Irina, stay here with Sydney. I'll go take care of Peyton."

"No Jack, I'm coming too."

"No."

"Jack, it'll be safer and quicker if we take care of Peyton together."

"I know Irina, but you don't miss."

"What?"

"You shoot people where you intend to shoot them, and everyone knows that. If you go with me and kill them, McKenas and who else is involved might get suspicious of you. And if you go with me and not kill them but 'accidentally' miss, then Peyton will know that I'll get suspicious of you for not killing her and her men. She'll know that I'll turn on you for your betrayal, and she won't get The Horizon."

She didn't like Jack facing Peyton alone, but she also knew he was right.

"Fine. But just be….careful."

She actually sounded concerned for his safety, he thought. But when Sydney screamed through another contraction, he realized he had to hurry and get to Peyton and her men. He simply nodded and went off to fight Peyton.

Irina sat down beside Sydney and took hold of her hand.

"Mommy, it hurts so bad." A little laugh escaped her lips by the sound of Sydney sounding so much like she did, when she was little and had broken her leg. She couldn't help but respond to her as if she was a little girl.

"Mommy's right here sweetheart, and daddy will be back soon. It's okay, just breathe." She sat there holding Sydney tight, trying her best to comfort her while they heard gunshots. Sydney was so concerned about her father. "He'll be fine, don't you worry."

After a little while Sydney felt strong enough to speak.

"Mom, are you and dad okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You just seem so far apart from each other."

"There was a certain subject we talked about last night. It didn't go that well."

"Nadia?" Irina looked at Sydney and was surprised to see that she knew that Jack was Nadia's father. "Yeah mom, I know."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, in one of your emails?"

"It wasn't my place to tell you." She knew Sydney was right. Sydney wasn't really sure if she should ask her mother, but she couldn't help herself. "Did you know that dad was her father?"

"No. I only suspected it a little, but I was far away from knowing."

"How come?"

"I'll tell you someday, sweetheart, but not now." She could tell from her mother's facial expression that she shouldn't push the matter any further, and smiled at her.

"Okay, mom."

Meanwhile Jack was fighting off Peyton and her men. He succeeded in killing them all, but he was too busy getting back to Sydney that he didn't check. Only seconds after he left, Peyton moved.

"Dad." Sydney's voice was filled with relief when Jack came back. Crying she reached her hand out, which he took, and hugged her tightly.

"I'm here sweetheart. We need to get you out of here, so you can have the baby."

"Jack, there's no time for that. The baby is coming and fast. She has no choice but to deliver it here."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, I can't, mom. I need to be in a hospital, with doctors and nurses. And drugs, lots of drugs, because I'm in paaaaiiiiinnnn." She was having another concretion.

"Of course you can do it sweetheart. Your father and I are right here. We'll help you. Right, Jack?"

Jack would rather have Sydney in hospital, where the professionals could take care of her. He knew nothing about delivering a baby. It wasn't really something he had learned through his CIA training. But he also knew he had to be strong for Sydney.

"Your mother's right, Sydney. We're here. We'll get you through it." He looked at Irina and she gave him a reassuring smile. That helped.

Jack sat by Sydney's side holding her hand, while Irina was responsible for delivering the baby. They both coached Sydney, and calmed her down. Few moments later Irina was holding her granddaughter in her arms.

"It's a girl. Ten fingers, ten toes, and absolutely beautiful."

A big smile was spread across her lips, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Sydney was crying tears of joy herself, and Jack had wet eyes. She handed Sydney her baby, and Jack helped settle the baby into her arms. When Sydney took her daughter, they let go. As that happened, Jack and Irina ended up holding hands slightly. They looked down at their hands, and then at each other. Smiling shyly at each other, they gave their hands a little squeeze.

"Hello Isabelle. I've waited so long to see you. So have your grandparents." Sydney looked up at them, and just before she did, Jack and Irina pulled their hands apart. "Thank you so much. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You don't have to thank us, sweetheart." Jack put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her heard. "You've decided to name her Isabelle then."

"Yeah, Vaughn and I decided on it together when he was in hospital."

"It's a beautiful name."

"It really is sweetheart. And speaking of the baby's father." Irina found her bag, and took out what to most people looked like a small pack of breath mints. In reality it was a small camera. "I think Michael would like some pictures."

"Will you really be able to get them to him?"

"Yes, I will."

"Thank you, mom. That means the world to me."

"Don't mention it. Now smile."

Irina took several pictures, and after sat and enjoyed her time with her daughter and granddaughter. But then it became time to leave.

"I should go. With the way things are now, it would be best if you call the CIA, and have them come and get you. They can bring the necessary equipment for the baby, and they can get you home safe."

"Mom, what about you?"

"I'll be fine."

Jack nodded at her.

"I'll call the CIA right away." He walked out of the room to call and to give Irina and Sydney some time alone.

"You take care of yourself and that beautiful granddaughter of mine. Bring her to see Nadia. I think she would like that." Irina couldn't help but feel sad. She would've loved nothing more than to see Nadia, but she'd only been in LA for such a short time. There was also a chance that she could've been caught, and that was a chance she was not willing to take. Not now that they got closer and closer to end Rambaldi. "Tell Nadia that I love and miss her."

"I will mom." They were hugging when Jack came back into the room.

"They'll be here in fifteen minutes."

"Then I should get going." She took Sydney's face in her hands, and kissed her cheek. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, mom."

They took one last look at each other, before Irina stood and walked over to Jack, who was still standing by the door. They stood for a few seconds just looking at each other, and Jack waited for Irina to make the first move. When she didn't, he simply gave her a small nod.

"I'll be in touch."

"Okay. Bye Jack."

She walked out of the room, and for the next few seconds Jack just stood motionless by the door. Then he remembered. He remembered the moment they'd shared when they held hands, and he knew he couldn't leave it at that.

"Sydney I'll be right back." He ran after Irina and when he saw her in the distance he called out to her. "Irina. Irina."

When she heard him, she turned around and waited for him.

"What is it Jack? Is Sydney alright?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Then what is it?"

He looked into her eyes, and gave her a sincere smile.

"Thank you for Nadia." Then he kissed her. It was a short, soft kiss, just like the one they had shared in Sovogda, but this time there was one huge difference. She didn't kiss him back. He looked at her again and when there was no emotion on her face, he switched on his stoic face. "You should get going."

As he watched her walk away, he realized how foolish he had been. It was obvious to him that she didn't have any feelings for him whatsoever.

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lady-josie: **Thank you very much for saying and thinking that. :-) Well, some of the things from the show worked in terms of places and the reasons for why they happened, but they didn't work for how they went about them. So that's why I've created sort of my own season 5, and used some of the things from the season. But later the story becomes completely AU as does the entire second story and the third one will be as well. Don't apologize about the lenght of your review - all reviews are appreciated. :-) Hope you'll find time to relax. Thank you very much for loving my story and for letting me know. :-)

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**Chapter 10**

Vaughn was sitting in a remote cabin in Bhutan looking out the window. He was thinking about Sydney and had been keeping track of the months.

'_She's either had the baby by now, or is close to giving birth.'_ "Syd, I wish I could be there. God I wish I could be there."

He was being taken care of by monks. They were protecting him around the house, and in the area. He was so used to them coming in with food and beverages supplies, and with them not being very social that he didn't look when he heard someone enter the cabin.

"Hello Michael."

His head spun around surprised by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Irina?"

"You're looking well. The monks said you've recovered well. I'm very happy to hear that."

"What are you doing here? Is Sydney alright? Is it the baby?" He was worried sick.

"Sydney is fine. But I'm actually here about the baby. Sydney gave birth a little over a week ago. You have a beautiful baby girl."

Vaughn breathed out a held in breath. He smiled through tear filled eyes.

"Isabelle."

"Yes, Sydney said you'd agree to name the child that if you had a girl."

"You've seen Sydney?" The longing for her was evident in his voice. She nodded.

"I helped to deliver my granddaughter." She could tell Vaughn was overwhelmed and curious, wanting to know how that had happened and how Sydney was doing, as well as his daughter. Irina gave him one of her big sincere smiles. "Why don't I make some tea, and you can look at the pictures I brought of your daughter?"

"You have pictures?"

"Yes." She took the pictures out of her bag and handed them to him. "Here." She gave him the pictures, and walked off towards the kitchen area. Looking back at him she watched as he looked through the pictures with tears running down his face. She knew that one day he would see Sydney again, and see his daughter for the first time. She smiled.

Irina filled Vaughn in on current events. Everything from her involvement with McKenas, to her helping to deliver Isabelle, to Jack being Nadia's father. He couldn't tell how he knew, but there was no doubt in his mind that she wanted nothing more than to end Rambaldi. Something was driving her, or someone. He thought that it was probably Sydney, Nadia, and his daughter. After all she had talked a lot about them, and he could see her whole face light up when she talked about them. She hadn't talked much about Jack.

Irina had been there for a few hours when she looked at her watch.

"I should go." She wasn't quite sure but it almost looked like Vaughn was disappointed.

"Before you go there's something I need to say to you." Irina was a bit curious about the tone in his voice. He sounded hesitant. She nodded and motioned for him to continue. "I will never forgive you for killing my father. But…." He trailed off and had to swallow once before he went on. Looking directly at her he continued. "But I understand." Irina was surprised by his comment, but before she could say anything he went on. "I might not have held my daughter in my arms yet, but just knowing that she exists is enough for me to want to do anything in my power to protect her. I will hurt anyone who ever tries to harm her. Even kill. So, I understand why you had to kill my father. You wanted to get to Nadia, and he stood in your way. You don't have my forgiveness, because I missed out on my father in my life, but you do have my understanding."

Irina couldn't believe what he had just said to her. She swallowed a few times to get her emotions in control. It wasn't his forgiveness he had given her, but it was close enough. She wasn't quite sure if she should thank him. He might not appreciate that. But she decided to live in the happy moment.

"Thank you for telling me, Michael. It means a lot. I wish I could tell you I'm sorry I killed your father, but I'm not. Like you said, he stood in the way of me getting to my daughter."

"I wouldn't expect you to apologize. I wouldn't either if I was in your position."

"We've come a long way since the first time we met, haven't we?"

"Yes, and I suppose things will only continue to get better, now that I'm marrying Sydney and Isabelle is in our lives."

"I certainly hope so." They looked at each other for a little while longer exchanging small smiles. "I should really leave now."

"Okay. I'll walk you out." They walked outside, and Irina stood by her horse. She wasn't quite sure if she should shake his hand goodbye or what. But once again Vaughn surprised her when he hugged her. Not quite sure on what to do again, she hugged him back. It was a bit awkward and short, and Vaughn stepped back apologetically. "I'm sorry about that." He didn't quite look her in the eyes. "I guess I'm just a bit emotional with hearing the news about Isabelle, and missing both her and Sydney. Being so close to dying. And I haven't seen a familiar face in months, so…….."

"It's okay, Michael. I understand." He looked back at her and they shared a small smile. "I should go. Take care, Michael, and know that you'll see Sydney and Isabelle soon. We will end all of this soon."

"I know we will. Get back safe." He surprised her again with telling her to stay safe. Indeed they had come along way. He watched her ride off, and when he could see her no longer, he walked back into the cabin to look at the pictures of Sydney and Isabelle.

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In other parts of the world Sloane met with McKenas Cole. He was told what Peyton had tried to do, and he was furious. Making up an excuse, saying he was looking into a lead for Nadia's cure, APO granted him access to leave. Dixon had wanted to go with him, since Sloane wasn't allowed to go many places alone when it was worked related. But Jack had allowed him to go alone. Dixon was suspicious of Sloane but trusted Jack's judgment. After all he didn't want anything to intervene in getting a cure for Nadia, even if Sloane would be the one to go and get it alone.

"McKenas, how's Peyton?"

"She's good, she's good. It was a close call though. I must say that Jack Bristow is good. He nearly killed her. But she's up and about and will be back to her full strength shortly."

"Yes, Jack is good, and Peyton was lucky. Not that I'm not pleased that she's alright, but I told her not to go anywhere near Irina. She disobeyed me, McKenas. I don't like that."

"She's a kid and really enthusiastic. She'll learn."

"Her enthusiasm can get her killed. She has the same envisions like you and I have about Rambaldi. It would be a shame if she didn't live to see his greatest work come true. And we need Irina. We can't do this without her."

"I know, I know. I've already yelled at her a little. Well, not much really. She's such a sweet kitten after all. Actually she's more like a tiger. It's like she's your prey, and she just want to eat you alive."

"Spare me of details regarding your love life, McKenas."

"Aaaahhh Arvin, did I hurt your feelings? Aren't you getting any? You should really look into that. It takes the stress right off of you. How about hooking up with Irina?"

"Irina? Didn't you hear that I didn't care whether she lives or dies once she's helped us?"

"Just think of the damage the two of you could do to the world together. It would be beautiful, Arvin, just beautiful. And picture yourself with Nadia by your side too. Mommy, daddy, and the little one. Aaaawwww isn't that just a cute picture?"

Sloane started to wonder. It did indeed sound like a beautiful thought. He wasn't too concerned about Nadia, but she was his daughter. The more he thought about it, the happier he got with the idea. If Nadia ever woke up, he could make her come around. He could make her see the light of Rambaldi. When she learned that both of her parents were involved, he had no doubt that she would jump at the chance. There was no mistaken that Irina was a beautiful and sexy woman, and he had desired her for years. He could never believe why the KGB decided to chose Jack as the CIA agent she should marry and steal from. Had they chosen him, he would have been able to have helped them with Rambaldi.

"You can just picture it, can't you Arvin?"

"Yes, I must admit that I can. And though I haven't given Nadia much thought, she's still my little girl. I can make her come around. After all she needs her father." He smiled to himself, and started to like the idea of being Nadia's father more than he had ever done before. _'Yes, I'll be there for her when she wakes up. I'll be the father she's always wanted, the father she deserves. My precious little Nadia, together we'll be unstoppable.' _

"Arvin, I'm so glad to hear you say that, because I have great news. I have the cure for Nadia."

Sloane smiled triumphantly. She would finally wake up, and he would be the reason for that. Sydney would be grateful to him for waking her sister from her coma, and he looked forward to seeing the look on Jack's face. He looked forward to spending time with his little girl again.

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Lady-josie: **I'm thrilled to know that. I'm glad you liked the conversation with Irina and Vaughn. Thank you very much for thinking I'm good at portraying Sloane. *blush* Yeah, Sloane is one sick bastard and it's my full intension to make him that way as much as possible. But will Nadia learn the truth and will Sloane? - time will tell. Thank you very much. :-)

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**Chapter 11**

The next day Jack was sitting by Nadia talking about what was going on in his life. Not that there really was anything going on much other than work. He did however go on and on about Isabelle, and how much he loved spending time with her. There was no mistaken that Jack was smitten with his granddaughter. His phone rang.

"Bristow."

"_Jack, it's Peter."_

"Why are you calling? Aren't you here?"

"_Yes, I am, but I was just informed that Sloane's been spotted on the security cameras entering the hospital. I just wanted to warn you in case you're holding Nadia's hand or something. Sloane might get suspicious of you."_

"Thank you for letting me know."

"_Sure thing. I'm on my way down. I'll be there shortly."_

"Okay." Jack sighed deeply. He didn't want to be here when Sloane was visiting Nadia, but he also didn't want to leave Nadia alone. Not after what Irina had told him. He was disgusted by Sloane.

He stood up and kissed her forehead, then pushed his chair back, and picked up a book. That way it would look like he was reading to her, which was something he used to do anyway, but that no one knew about.

Moments later Sloane walked in.

"Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Just looking in on Nadia, for Sydney. She's taken Isabelle to her check-up, and asked if I would bring some flowers to Nadia." He pointed to the flowers that in reality were from him.

"We fathers will do anything for our daughters, won't we Jack?" Jack simply gave Sloane a small nod. "And speaking of gifts, I've found the most important gift for my daughter. I found her cure, Jack. My little girl is going to be alright again." He smiled his little triumphantly smirked at Jack, which made Jack sick to his stomach.

"That sounds wonderful, Arvin, but are you sure the cure will work?"

"Of course I'm sure, Jack. I'm her father, I know best."

"How did you get it?"

Sloane was irritated by Jack's question. All he wanted to do was give Nadia the cure, so that he could start to take care of her, so that it would eventually lead her to join him in his quest for Rambaldi's greatest work. But he remained his calm.

"Jack, you know I can't reveal my contacts. It is guaranteed to work."

Jack was happy if Sloane had indeed been successful in getting a cure for Nadia. He also feared if it turned out not to work, but even more if it did. He didn't know if he was ready to tell Nadia the truth yet. He was afraid how she would react. All thoughts were pushed to the side when Peter walked in.

"Hello Mr. Sloane. It's good to see you again." He lied. He couldn't stand the man.

"Dr. Blake, just the man I wanted to see. I've found Nadia's cure." He pulled out a small bottle containing a yellow liquid, and handed it to him.

Peter eyed the bottle.

"Are you sure this is the right cure?"

Sloane got annoyed again. He didn't need yet another one questioning him. He could allow himself to be a bit harsh with the doctor, and allowed to let his irritation be notable in his voice.

"Of course I'm sure. I'm Nadia's father. I know what's best for my daughter. You can go ahead and give her the cure right now."

Peter didn't let Sloane get to him.

"As her doctor, I'm not going to just give her this without testing it first. You'll have the results in a few hours."

Sloane was anything but happy.

"I'm telling you it will work. You're endangering her life if you don't give her that right away."

"And I might be endangering her life if I just go ahead and give it to her. I'm in charge and I make the call. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take this to the lab." He gave Jack a nod, but didn't bother paying anymore attention to Sloane.

Sloane was seething with anger. He hated being questioned. Jack didn't pay any attention to Sloane. He looked at Nadia, and wanted nothing more than to take her by the hand, and tell that she would soon meet her niece. But he knew he couldn't with Sloane there.

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Jack had stayed for a little while longer, but couldn't stand being in the same room with Sloane any longer. He had excused himself telling him he had work to do, but that he would be back later. On his way out, he told Peter to call him when they were done testing the cure.

He rang the bell at Sydney's, and Eric answered the door.

"Hey Jack, come in."

"Thank you. Where's Sydney?"

"Right here, dad." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Isabelle was waving her little arm in the air. "I think someone wants to say hello to her grandpa." She handed her to Jack, who happily accepted her, and planted a kiss on her head.

"Hello sweetheart. Look at you, don't you look beautiful. And if I'm not mistaken you've grown since I saw you last."

"No, she hasn't, dad. You just saw her last night."

Jack shook her head at Isabelle.

"Your mother is being really silly. I'm your grandpa, and I'm always right."

"Dad, don't tell her that." She wasn't mad, but laughed at his comment.

"As her grandpa, it's my right to inform her of such things." He flashed Sydney a grin.

"Very funny, dad. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." She was grinning. It was wonderful to see her father act like this. Eric just stood observing them, a little stunned by Jack's behavior, but glad nonetheless. "So are you here for any particular reason, or did you just drop by to tease me?" She could see that her father got serious, and became a little alarmed.

"It's about Nadia."

"What about her?" Eric was immediately worried, and it was noticeable in his voice.

"Sloane found a cure for her."

"Really?" His voice went up a few octaves. He was relieved too. "That's great news. I mean the cure will work right?"

"Sloane says it works, but it's being tested as we speak."

"Tested. That's good. Best to be sure. I mean, of course it has to be tested. You can hardly take Sloane's word for anything. I'm sorry, I know he's Nadia's dad, but still…." It was obvious that Sloane wasn't one of Eric's favorite people. Jack and Sydney looked at each other as Eric had said that. Sydney had wanted to tell Eric more than anything that Jack was her father. Now she was happy that she would be able to do so, but she couldn't quite figure out the expression in her father's eyes. "When will we know for sure if the cure will work?"

"It should be ready in a few hours."

"Good, then I can go home and take a shower and a change of clothes. You think it would be alright for me to be there when she wakes up?"

"Of course it'll be alright." Eric looked at Jack. He would've expected Sydney to tell him it was alright, not Jack. He kept looking a little at Jack, puzzled that he had spoken, but quickly forgot about it.

"Okay great. Could one of you call me when the test is done?"

"Sure Eric." This time Sydney had spoken first. Having seen Eric's curious look at her father, she thought it was best to beat him to it.

"Thank you. I'll see you later then." He kissed Sydney on the cheek, Isabelle on her head, and gave Jack's arm a squeeze. He was thrilled that Nadia would wake up again.

Jack and Sydney walked into the living room, with him still holding Isabelle. He looked around the place, and Sydney knew what he was looking for.

"Rachel's at APO." Jack nodded. "It's wonderful news about Nadia. I know that maybe we shouldn't trust Sloane, but I really think that the cure will work. It has to work."

"I'm pretty sure it will, Sydney."

"So how did he get it?"

"He wouldn't tell me." She looked at him suspiciously. "I don't like it either, but like you said, I think the cure will work." She agreed with him.

"So we can finally tell Nadia that you're her father." Her happiness was evident.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

She couldn't believe what he'd just said.

"Dad, why not? Sloane has provided the cure believing he's her father, and we've kept up appearances for her sake. We can finally stop pretending."

"I don't need to spring the news on her, right after she wakes up from being in a coma for months. Maybe she won't like that I'm her father. I don't want her to go through anymore pain."

"I can't believe you." She was mad and hurt. "Of course Nadia will like that you're her father. She'll be thrilled. Don't sell yourself short. The best way for Nadia to get better is to have her family around her. You're her family, not Sloane."

"I know Sydney, but it's not exactly easy for me to tell. What am I supposed to do? Just walk up to her and say 'Hi Nadia. You needed DNA at one time, and when it turned out that Sloane didn't share your DNA, mine was tested. So hey guess what, I'm your father?'"

"Yeah dad, exactly."

"It's not that simple, Sydney."

"The hell it is." She was raising her voice more and more and Isabelle started to fuss.

"Sydney please keep your voice down. You're scaring Isabelle."

"Don't lecture me on parenting." She could tell that hurt him, and she felt bad. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"It's okay Sydney. I deserved it. Sweetheart, please understand how hard it is for me. I'll tell her soon, I promise. And I'll tell everyone else, but please let me do it on my own time."

She still didn't like the idea, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Okay dad. We'll do it your way."

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Lady-josie: **Thank you very much. :-) Yeah, Jack is really protective of his children - glad you liked that. *lol* - yeah, I figured your opinion of Sloane hadn't changed. Yeah, Jack really should listen to Sydney, but I can't promise you that he will. Oh yes Irina hates Sloane, and with their past it's only a given that she does. Thank you so much for saying that *blush* - you're too kind. :-) Well, I've written 32 chapters for the sequel, but seeing as you have to read this one first before you read the sequel, I guess it doesn't count much. *lol* So no, this and the sequel are the only Alias fan fics I've written. I have ideas for another 3 Alias fan fics (not including the third story in connection to this one and the sequel), but I haven't written anything on them - in my mind they're going to be pretty long, so I won't be starting on them anytime soon. But as with this one, the sequel and the third story, I have a pretty good idea of how at least 2 of those stories will begin and end and with what's going to happen throughout the stories (certain scenes, moments, and dialogue exists in my head). This story is the first fan fic I've written, and only recently did I start to write the House fan fics, I've written. Thank you so very much - I'm thrilled to have you say that. *hugs*

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**Chapter 12**

A couple of hours later Sydney and Jack returned with Eric, Marshall, and Dixon. Sloane spotted Jack and Sydney coming round the corner, and was fine with seeing them, but his mood changed when he saw the others.

"Jack, Sydney, I can understand why you're here, but what are the rest of you doing here?"

Getting ahead of everyone else, and not wanting Sloane to blame her father, Sydney answered him.

"I told them we had a cure for Nadia, and asked them to come."

Sloane didn't like it, but did his best to try and hide his irritation.

"Well, that's very kind of you, Sydney, but I don't think Nadia needs to have so many people around her. In fact, I think it's best if I'm the only one here."

She wasn't going to let him get to her, and firmly told him so.

"They're all her friends. Eric's her boyfriend, and I'm her sister. Nadia would want us all here." She wanted to scream at him that he wasn't her father, but she remembered her promise to her father.

Sloane wasn't thrilled about it, but knew he had no choice other than to let them all stay. He had to make Nadia like him even more, and unfortunately that meant getting on with her friends. He wasn't too pleased to have Dixon there. He knew he was suspicious of him. He couldn't really stand Marshall, and wished he would just stay away. The fact that Eric was there was even worse. He was her boyfriend, and he was nothing like the man Sloane wanted to see Nadia with. But he also knew that once Nadia would accept Rambaldi, she would get new friends. She would get a new boyfriend, and she would be far away from Sydney. Sydney and Jack was another matter. He wanted them here after all, so that they could see, he was the loving and caring father.

"Very well. The doctor should be here any minute." Just as he had said that Peter came walking round the corner.

"Good evening all. This is just what the doctor ordered, all of Nadia's friends and family around her. It will help her very much." He could tell that Sloane was pissed off, and couldn't help but smile on the inside. "As I'm sure you all know by now, the cure works. We found nothing in it that could be dangerous to Nadia. My guess is, she should be waking up rather quickly. But I can't be sure of how long it'll take her to get back to her full strength." They all just listened to him and nodded. "Okay, let's go and wake up Nadia."

Two other doctors and two nurses joined them in the room, just in case something would go wrong. Once everyone was settled in Peter injected her with the yellow liquid. They waited for what seemed like an eternity, but then Nadia's eyes started to blink. She opened her eyes more and more with her lips moving, and finally she spoke.

"Sy….Sy….Sydney."

Sydney was crying her eyes out and she was by Nadia's side in an instance.

"I'm right here, Nadia, I'm right here." Sydney took her hand, and when Nadia looked at Sydney they both smiled. "I've missed you so much."

"Me…..too." Next she spotted Eric, who was crying his eyes out too. She smiled and he smiled back. "Missed…..you…..too." Her throat was dry and she had trouble talking. Eric walked up to her and poured her a glass of water.

"Here, have a sip of this." He helped her drink her water. When he sat the cup down, he looked at her again and kissed her.

Nadia looked around again and spotted Jack. She held his gaze for several seconds and she smiled at him. He smiled back, and his eyes were filled with emotion.

"Dad." She was still looking at Jack and everyone looked between her and Jack, curious as to why she had looked at him when she said dad. They all just believed she was still groggy from being in a coma for so long.

"I'm right here, Nadia." Sloane stepped into Nadia's view, and Sydney could tell that Nadia looked disappointed. She didn't say anything, but just looked at him. He took hold of her other hand and stroked her head with his free hand. "It's so good to have you back with me. I've really missed you." She still didn't say anything and looked passed him and spotted Marshall. She smiled again.

"Hey Nadia. It's Marshall." She smiled a little more of his silliness. "Uh, guess you know that. I was sure you'd wake up. I mean not really sure, because you can't really be sure of anything in life, right? I could easily walk out of here and be hit by a bus, and then splat, I'd be dead." He looked around at everyone and he knew it was time to shut up. He looked at her apologetically. "Sorry. Oh by the way, Carrie and Mitch say hi. Well not that they know I'm here, because it's all hush, hush…..umm but if they knew, they'd say hi." Nadia smiled at him even more. She had definitely missed Marshall.

Dixon stepped forward.

"Hi Nadia, good to have you back." She smiled at him too, and went back to look at Jack. She was looking at him intensely and he felt a little uncomfortable. Was it possible that she had heard him? He couldn't tell, but when she smiled at him again, he smiled back. Sydney smiled too.

"Okay everyone. I need to examine Nadia. So if everyone could please wait outside." Peter motioned for everyone to leave, and Sydney kissed Nadia's forehead before she left.

Outside her room Sydney and Jack looked at each other, and she gave her father a smile, which he returned. She wanted nothing more than to give him a big hug, but thought that might be suspicious to everyone else. Dixon, Marshall, and Eric were off to the side talking together, while Sloane stood closely by the door. They decided to sit down and wait for Peter to call them back inside. Once they sad down, Jack put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into his embrace.

About 30 minutes later Peter let them all back inside.

"Well, the patient is getting stronger every minute, and is showing no sign of any permanent damage. We've taken some blood, and we'll test it to see if anything shows up. But as it's looking right now, Nadia's going to be perfectly fine, and I even think she can leave the hospital in a few days."

"So soon?" It was obvious Eric liked the sound of that.

"Absolutely."

"That's wonderful news, doctor. Did you hear that, Nadia? You get to go home soon. Maybe you should move in with me, and I can help you get better." Sydney was sick by Sloane's behavior towards her sister, and she knew that Jack wasn't liking it either. By the look on Nadia's face, she didn't look too happy either. Nadia could tell that Sloane was waiting for her to talk to him.

Having gotten her voice back a little more she looked around, and spoke to everyone, though she was really only referring to Sloane.

"It's great to see all of you again, but I'm exhausted and think it would be best if I went back to sleep."

"Yes, I agree. It would be best if you all left. I'll stay here and spent some more time with my daughter. Don't worry about her."

"Actually, I want all of you to leave." She didn't look at him, but she could tell how Sloane felt. He wasn't happy.

"Fine. Whatever you want. You need your rest after all. Nadia, I want you to know that I helped you in Sovogda. I wasn't on your aunt Elena's side."

Sydney shivered when she heard Sloane mention Elena. She couldn't help but remember what her mother had told her on the plane. She thought she heard her father swallow a little harder with the mention of Elena's name too, but she couldn't tell anything was different about him when she looked at him.

"I've just woken up after being in a coma for months, and I have a lot of catching up to do. But I would appreciate it, if you didn't mention her name again. And I would really like to get back to sleep."

"Very well, my dear." He was about to step back, so that he could say his goodbyes last, but Peter wouldn't let him.

"You heard what the patient said, Mr. Sloane, so you might as well say your goodbyes now and leave the room. It's easier if you leave one by one."

Sloane wasn't happy about it, but he didn't want to make a scene in front of Nadia.

"Goodnight, my dear. I'll be back again tomorrow." He kissed her cheek, but she just looked down on her hands.

"Goodnight." He wasn't very happy about her behavior. He wanted things to go faster. But he also knew not to push her, and that everyone would back him up about Sovogda. After he stepped out it was Dixon's turn to say goodnight. He kissed her cheek, and Marshall did the same when he said goodnight. Eric was next and kissed her again on her mouth. He too promised he'd be back the next day.

Sydney was next.

"Goodnight Nadia. I'll be here tomorrow too. I have so much I need to tell you, so many things I want to share with you. I'm so happy to have you back with us. I love you."

"I love you too, Sydney. And I look forward to hearing about everything." They hugged goodbye and exchange kisses on the cheeks.

Then it was Jack's turn. He stood by her side, and not really sure of what to do.

"It's good to have you back. You've been missed." She smiled at him and he smiled back. Jack realized he'd been standing there for a few moments without saying anything. He had just smiled at her. "Umm, I should go." Without thinking about it he stepped forward and planted a kiss on her forehead like he had done every time he'd left from visiting her, after finding out she was his. He could tell she was surprised and he looked away embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. Everyone else was doing it. I just thought…." He was rambling, but relaxed when he felt Nadia touching his hand.

"Don't apologize. I didn't mind." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"I should go. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes, unless you don't want me to?"

"No, I would like that very much. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodnight and sleep tight." Jack mentally slapped himself for saying the last part, but he was relieved when Nadia laughed.

"You too, Jack."

Sydney thought it took forever for Jack to get out of Nadia's room, and when he finally came out she approached him immediately.

"Did you tell her?"

Jack took her gently by the arm and pulled her away from Nadia's room.

"No I didn't. It's still too soon."

"Didn't you see that she looked at you when she said 'dad'? I think it'll be okay to tell her. She wouldn't give Sloane the time of day. Please tell her, dad."

"I will Sydney. Speaking of Sloane where is he, and everyone else for that matter?"

"Sloane got a phone call and left, and everyone else went home too. They said to tell you bye. Well, not Sloane. He didn't really pay any attention to us. He was busy with his phone call. I'm worried about him, dad."

"Yeah, me too. Look, we'll deal with Sloane and Nadia later. Right now we should get home. Isabelle's probably missing you by now." She kissed his cheek, and Jack had an arm around her shoulders as they left the hospital.

**TBC**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Jack came home after dropping Sydney off. He lay down on his couch and started to rub his head. Nadia was awake and she would be fine. He couldn't believe it, but he still didn't know how to tell her, or when to tell her.

He was feeling a bit uncomfortable on the couch, and removed the cushion he was laying on. When he was about to put it under his head, he could smell the scent it still had. Irina's scent. He inhaled and wished things could be different between them. But he knew they never would. She didn't care about him. Tears started to form in his eyes, but he decided to shake them off, and went to his laptop to write an email to Irina, telling her about Nadia.

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A couple of hours after Jack had written to her, Sergei found her in her office crying.

"Irina, are you ready t…… What's wrong?" He was by her side immediately, hugging her tightly. "What is it? Hey, come on now. Look at me and tell me what's wrong." He lifted her head with his hands, but couldn't get her to talk to him. She was crying too hard, and she merely pointed at her computer screen. "What?" He turned to look and read the email from Jack. "My god." He turned back to Irina. "That's wonderful news." She could only nod through her tears. He hugged her again, tighter than before, and tried to comfort her, the best he could. "You'll see her again, hold her again, kiss her again, and tell her how much you love her. Just remember that." She nodded again, but was still crying. "Come now. Dry those tears, and put that beautiful smile of yours on. This is a happy occasion."

Her tears subsided some, and she dried them from her face, getting more and more control of her emotions.

"I know, and I'm extremely happy. I just wish I could be there for her."

"I know, but you will be one day." There was a slight knock on the door, and Irina quickly wiped the remainder of her tears, and got her emotions in check.

"Come in." She instantly smiled broadly at the sight that appeared before her.

Sergei leaned in and whispered.

"Until you can be there for Nadia and Sydney, it seems like someone else needs you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she stroked him gently on his cheek. Then she stood and walked towards the door.

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The next day Jack went to the hospital. Laughter could be heard through the door, and Jack smiled to himself. Those laughs came from Sydney and Nadia. They came from his daughters. He wasn't sure if he should go in. He didn't what Sydney to make a comment or in any other way indicate that he was Nadia's father. It still wasn't the right time to tell her. He braved himself and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Nadia's voice sounded so much stronger than the day before.

"Hi. Is this a good time to visit?" He had only popped his head through, so that he could easily leave again, if she didn't want him there.

"Hi Jack. Yes, of course, come on in." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Sydney smiled from ear to ear, and could almost feel tears in her eyes. She gathered herself.

"Hi, dad." She stood up and hugged him, and a small laugh came from Nadia's bed.

"I see you brought Isabelle." He went over and gave his granddaughter a kiss. He wanted to give Nadia a kiss too, but wasn't sure how she'd feel about that. He decided against it. "You're looking much better. How are you feeling?"

"As weird as it may sound, I actually feel wonderful. It feels like I'm ready to leave. And to be honest, I can't wait to leave."

"That's good to hear. What does your doctor say?"

"He examined me again today, and he says he can't believe how fast I've recovered either. He thinks I'll be out of here in a couple of days." Isabelle was waving her hands at Jack. "It seems like someone wants her grandfather. You want to hold her?"

"I would love to hold her." She handed Jack her niece, and was struck by how he changed with her in his arms. He was gentle, warm, and…….funny? Jack made a funny face at Isabelle, and she cooed at him. Nadia was amazed by Jack and couldn't help but laugh when he made another funny face at Isabelle.

"You're so wonderful with her." Both Jack and Sydney looked at her, and saw Nadia smiling at Jack. He looked at her shyly.

"Umm, thank you."

"Yes, dad is wonderful with her. You should really hear some of the things he's done with her. He plays with her, makes her laugh, bathes…."

"Sydney, I'm sure Nadia doesn't want to hear about that."

"No, Jack I don't mind." She smiled at him. "I'd love to hear about it." He smiled shyly at her again, and looked at Sydney. She was smiling from ear to ear again. He looked at Isabelle.

"It looks like grandpa is outvoted." She cooed again.

A few hours later Sydney, Nadia, and Jack were sitting laughing and catching up. Before Jack had arrived, Sydney had filled Nadia in on Vaughn being in hiding, how she and Jack were working with Irina to end Rambaldi, the birth of Isabelle, and how they were the only ones who knew about all of it. When Sydney and Jack drove home last night, she had pleaded with him to let her tell Nadia. He had refused, but when she broke down crying, he had allowed it. However, she had to make Nadia promise that she was under no circumstances allowed to tell Eric or anyone else about it. And Sydney couldn't tell Nadia about their suspicion of Sloane. She hadn't liked it, but had accepted.

Sloane walked in and found them laughing. He wasn't pleased but he masked his feelings.

"Nadia, you look well." They stopped laughing and looked at Sloane. Neither of them were too thrilled to see him either. He walked over and gave Nadia a kiss on the cheek. She gave him a small smile, just so he would think she appreciated his present. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, thanks." She felt she needed to say more to him to please him. "The doctor says, I'm doing very well. Better than he expected. I'll probably be able to leave in a few days."

"That's wonderful. Just what a father wants to hear. Nadia, I want you to come live with me." She looked at him. Not knowing how to respond she looked away, and over at Isabelle.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Nadia, please. I know I'm not the father you've always needed, but I can be that for you now. I want to be that for you. I want us to get close. Closer than we were before. I think the best way to work on our relationship is to live together. Please say you will." She didn't answer him. Her eyes were still on Isabelle. Sloane tried again. "I meant what I said yesterday, Nadia. I was helping the CIA in Sovogda. I wasn't working against you. Jack and Sydney can vouch for me." He turned to Jack and smiled that triumphantly smile. Nadia turned to Jack for the answer.

Jack was sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to tell Nadia it was a lie, but he knew he couldn't get away with it. He looked Nadia directly in the eye.

"Yes, it's true. Arvin helped." Nadia looked down. She could tell Jack had told the truth.

"There you have it, Nadia. I _was_ helping you." He stroked her gently on her head. "Why don't you and I spend some time together now? Alone." He looked at Jack and Sydney. He wanted them to leave.

Nadia wasn't sure what to do, but she thought she'd give him the benefit of doubt. She looked at him, and gave him a little smile.

"I guess that would be alright"

"I'm so glad. Jack, Sydney, if you would excuse us. I want to spend some time alone with my daughter."

"Of course, Arvin." Sydney couldn't believe her father. She wanted to tell Nadia and Sloane the truth right now, but reminded herself that it was her father's job to do it. Still that didn't mean she had to like it. Jack didn't really know how to say goodbye to Nadia. He didn't want to leave, but knew it was best. He wanted to give her a kiss on her forehead or cheek, or at least give her a hug, but didn't feel right about doing it in front of Sloane. He decided just to smile at her. "Take care, Nadia." She gave him a warm smile. Sydney couldn't help but smile triumphantly on the inside. She could see that Sloane hated that Nadia was so affectionate with Jack.

"Goodbye Nadia." Sydney hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back later to see you. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you, Sydney." Both Sydney and Jack just nodded at Sloane as they left. When they were outside her room, Sydney shook her head at her father.

"I know, Sydney." She gave him a smile of comfort, and he smiled back. "I'm going to talk to Peter before I leave. I'll see you later." He gave both Sydney and Isabelle a kiss goodbye and left.

She looked at Isabelle.

"If your mommy is silly then that's because she's inherited it from your grandpa. He's silly for not telling your aunt the truth."

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Four days later Nadia was given the okay from Peter to leave the hospital. Jack still hadn't told her she was his daughter, and she was getting on better with Sloane. But when Sloane had wanted to have dinner with her alone at his place on her first night out of the hospital, she had insisted that Sydney and her closest friends at APO came too. Sloane wasn't pleased. But he didn't have any other choice than to go along with Nadia's wishes. He needed her.

At the moment he was regretting his decision, when he opened his door and saw Marshall and Carrie. They had brought Mitchell with them.

"Carrie, Marshall come in. You couldn't find a sitter?"

"Uummm, Nadia said to bring him." Marshall was nervous.

"I see. Well, it is my daughter's party. She was allowed to invite whoever she wanted." Carrie was very protective of Mitchell. It didn't seem like Sloane was too pleased too see him there, and in truth she didn't want Sloane anywhere near her son. "Please, come on through to the living room." He led them in to where everyone else was waiting. Sydney, Isabelle, Jack, Dixon, Eric, Nadia, and Rachel greeted them. Nadia had met Rachel on the second day, she'd been awake, and she wanted her to come too, so she wouldn't feel left out. After all she was living with Sydney. "Now that everyone is here, why don't we eat?"

Dinner went well. For some, better than others. Jack didn't say much, but was pleasant and polite to everyone. Marshall was talking and rambling as always, and Carrie had to tell him several times to relax. Eric was trying to lighten up the mood, since it seemed like no one was really too excited to be in Sloane's home. But they were all here for Nadia.

"So what's everyone's favorite sport to watch? Come on don't be shy. Come on. Anyone? Marcus, what's yours?"

Dixon had to give Eric credit for trying his best to make this a pleasant experience for everyone. He went along with his questions.

"Basketball."

"There, one down, several to go. Who's next? Come on, if Marcus can do it, so can the rest of you. Jack, what about you? Favorite sport?"

"Soccer."

"What a coincidence. Nadia's favorite sport is soccer too." Jack and Nadia looked at each other. He smiled shyly at her. She smiled back.

"Argentina has always had a great male national team. It's hard not to get caught up in the game."

Just then the phone rang. Sloane stood up.

"I should get that. Won't you please excuse me." He went to his office to get it. "Hello."

"_Hello Mr. Sloane."_

"I've been expecting your call. I was pleased when McKenas told me you had joined."

"_It was my pleasure."_

"And you're okay with working with Irina?"

"_Yes. I'll expect she'll be pleased that I'm working with__ all of you."_

"Yes, I'm quite sure she will. And once we get what we want, you don't have a problem killing Jack? And Sydney for that matter?"

"_Not at all. The Bristows have caused me enough problems. I'll only be happy to get rid of them."_

"Good. That makes me very happy. I hate to cut this short, but I have guests. We're celebrating Nadia's home coming from the hospital."

"_Then I won't keep you any longer. I'__ll be in touch."_

"Yes, I look forward to that."

Sloane ended the phone call and sat back in his chair smiling triumphantly. His team got bigger and bigger by the minute, and he could smell sweet success.

Back in the dinning room the subject was now on favorite musicians, singers, and bands. Every one was at this point participating equally, and the mood was good. They each named several artists.

"Eva Cassidy."

"Elvis."

"The Beatles."

"Johnny Cash is always good."

Everyone looked at Jack and Nadia. They had both spoken simultaneously, saying the exact same thing. Nadia looked at Jack. He instead picked up his wine glass and took a sip. He kept looking into his glass when he could feel that Nadia was still looking at him. Eric didn't catch on at all, and looked at Nadia.

"I didn't know you liked Johnny Cash." She gave up looking at Jack. Obviously he wouldn't look at her, so she turned her attention to Eric.

"Well, there are lots of things you don't know about me. But you have plenty of time to learn." He picked up her hand and kissed it, and then turned his attention back to Jack.

"I didn't know you liked Johnny Cash either. Uh, but then again, I don't really know what your taste in music is." Jack just nodded. He still had his eyes in his glass.

"Okay it's time for Mitchell to go to sleep." Carrie had taken him to the bathroom, and walked back into the dining room with him. Sloane walked in at the same time coming from a different room. "Can I put him down somewhere?"

"Yes, of course." Sloane wasn't thrilled about it, but he had to agree to it. He wanted to show Nadia how caring he was. "Second door on your right."

"Thank you. Mitchell, do you want mommy or daddy to tuck you in?"

"I want uncle Jack." Everyone was surprised by his answer, including Jack. No one, not even Carrie, knew that Marshall referred to his colleagues as uncles and aunts when he spoke about them to Mitchell. Of course Carrie didn't know that Marshall was working with all of them. Or so everyone thought. Carrie had her suspicions that they were all working in black-ops again. It was the only way to explain Marshall's work hours.

"Sweetie, I don't think that Ja….."

"I'll tuck him in." Everyone turned to Jack. This time he'd surprised them. He wanted an excuse to leave the table, and this seemed like the perfect chance.

"Jack, you don't have to."

"I don't mind. Really." He reached out for Mitchell, who practically jumped into his arms.

"Okay, if you say so." She kissed Mitchell goodnight and Marshall stood up and did the same, and gave Jack two thumps up. Mitchell said goodnight to everyone else, and he and Jack left the room.

"Well then. Why don't the rest of us go into the living room for coffee?" Sloane pulled out Nadia's chair. She just looked in Jack's direction.

Later when Nadia returned from the bathroom, she looked in on Jack. He had been gone for a long time, and found him watching Mitchell sleep. She stood there watching him for a few moments before she spoke.

"It looks like he's fast asleep." She surprised him, and he snapped his head up quickly. "Are you going to join the rest of us? Everyone is wondering what's taking you so long, and Rachel said something about leaving soon. She has to go to Washington early in the morning."

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry for staying so long in here."

"Don't be. You looked like you were enjoying yourself." They shared a smile.

He walked out with her, and sat down next to Sydney on the couch. For the rest of the evening he didn't say much. Rachel left not long after he had returned to the living room. Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, and Dixon stayed for nearly an hour after she'd gone, and now Jack felt it was time for him to leave too.

"I should get going. I have some things to take care of in the morning. Thank you for a lovely evening." He gave Sloane a nod, and smiled quickly at Nadia, before returning his attention to Sydney. "Do you and Isabelle need a ride home?"

"No, we'll get a ride with Eric."

"Okay. Goodnight sweetheart." She stood up and hugged her father goodnight.

"Goodnight, dad. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight Jack. And don't worry, I'll get your girls home safely." He gave Eric a nod and a small smile. He gave Sloane a short nod, only pretending like he meant it.

"I'll walk you out." Nadia and Jack walked out to the front door. "Thank you very much for coming, Jack. I really appreciate it." She stepped forward and hugged him. Without thinking he hugged her back, tightly. Realizing what he was doing, he stepped back and looked away embarrassed.

"You're welcome. Goodnight." Then he was gone.

About forty-five minutes later Eric looked at his watch.

"Well, it's getting late. We should probably get going." He looked at Sydney.

"Yeah, I should get Isabelle home."

"I could use the sleep too." Sloane looked at Nadia.

"I thought you were staying here for the night? It would be much better for you to stay here Nadia. It's peaceful and quiet. You won't be woken by a baby in the middle of the night, or disturbed by Rachel, who as you remember has to get up early." He was trying his best to make her stay.

"I appreciate the offer. But it's my first night out of the hospital, and I prefer to sleep in my own bed."

"But it will be quiet here. You'll get the rest that you need"

"I've been in a coma for such a long time that I want to be woken in the middle of the night. I want to hear as many sounds as possible."

"Nadia, I don't like that. You need your rest. Please stay."

"Thank you for offering, but I prefer my own bed for my first night home."

"Fine. You should do what you want. We can talk later about you moving in with me. Sydney's place is getting too crowded, and I have plenty of space."

"Yeah maybe. Goodnight and thank you for a lovely evening." She let him hug her. She didn't want to take the first step.

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Back at Sydney's place, Sydney had just put Isabelle in her bed, when she came out to find Nadia standing at the door with her jacket on.

"Where are you going?"

"I thought I'd just go for a bike ride. I could use some fresh air."

"At this hour? Nadia, it's late. I know the doctor cleared you to do light activities, but you shouldn't overdue it."

"I'm just going for a bike ride, Sydney. I'll be fine. I'll be bringing my phone, and I'll call you if anything is wrong." Sydney wasn't thrilled about it, but also knew how much Nadia probably needed to feel free again.

"Okay. Just take it easy."

"I will. Don't wait up."

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Jack was sitting reading a book, when it knocked on his door. He looked at his watch and couldn't' believe who would stop by at this hour. It could only be Sydney. But it wasn't. It was Nadia.

"Nadia? What are you doing here? Are you okay, or is it Sydney or Isabelle?" He sounded worried and she smiled softy at him.

"No, we're all fine. Can I come in?" He opened the door fully, and motioned for her to come in. She quickly glanced around his apartment, thinking how much it resembled him. Or rather who he used to be. She turned back to look at him. "I have something to ask you, and I would appreciate it, if you would please answer it truthfully. That's if you can." He nodded.

"Go on."

"Jack, are you my father?"

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Jack stared at her. He couldn't believe what she'd just asked him, but he also knew he couldn't hide the truth from her any longer. He gathered himself before answering her. No doubt she'd have a lot of questions. Swallowing he looked at her, his voice a little nervous.

"Yes, I am."

She looked at him, not surprised of his answer, but still a little shaken. She wasn't upset, but spoke softly.

"How long have you known?"

"Not long."

"Did you know the other day when I woke up from my coma?"

"Yes. I've known for a while before that." She looked down. He thought that the news of that had hurt her. She looked up again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to." She looked down again sad.

"Is that because you don't want me?" He saw her reaction and closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"No Nadia, no. I do want you. I loved the fact that I was your father from the minute I knew. But I wasn't sure you wanted me. I wasn't sure you would like that I'm your father." She looked up at him and saw the uncertainly in his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I want you to be my father?"

"I don't know. I'm not exactly outgoing or very warm. You've seen me with Sydney." She smiled and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Yes, I have seen that, and that's exactly why I wanted you as my father. You love her so much, and you always have her best interest at heart. You might have your way of showing that, but you do, and that's all a daughter wants in a father." She threw her arms around him, and started to cry. "I've always hoped you were my father." Jack was surprised by her reaction. She could feel that he didn't hug her back, and started to pull away from him. But just then Jack hugged her tightly, and she relaxed in his embrace.

"Thank you." That was all he was able to say. They hugged for a little while longer before pulling apart, and Nadia dried her eyes. "Why don't we sit down on the couch, and you can ask me anything you like." They sat down, and Nadia took a deep breath before speaking.

"When did you plan on telling me that I was your daughter?" Jack took a deep breath himself.

"When I had the courage to do it. But I would've done it soon. I had to do it soon. Sydney kept pushing me." He looked at her apologetically, and she looked at him surprised.

"Sydney knows?"

"Yes, but don't blame her. She wanted to tell you, but I wouldn't let her. It was after all something I needed to tell you myself." He saw the question in her eyes. "Yes, your mother knows too." She spoke quietly.

"How long has she known?"

"Only since Isabelle's birth. Well, the day before actually."

"Really?" Jack's answer made her smile a little, and he nodded returning a sincere smile. "Why did she think Sloane was my father?"

"I think that's something your mother will tell you one day. I don't even know the full story myself."

"Okay. I assume Sloane doesn't know I'm not his." Jack looked at her embarrassed and she knew Sloane didn't know. "Why haven't you told him? Shouldn't he know? I know I'd like him to know."

He dreaded telling her, not knowing how she would like the answer.

"The reason he doesn't know yet, is because Sydney and I have our doubts about his good behavior. We think he might be up to something." She was just about to ask him, if that then wasn't even more of a reason to tell Sloane, and to have told her sooner. Jack saw the question in her eyes, and beat her to it. "I didn't think Sloane would hurt you as long as he believed he's your father. He also had to keep believing that, because he might have a way of finding a cure for you, which he did. I was protecting you. Please believe that, Nadia." He was pleading with her.

She gave him a reassuring smile, and reached out and took his hand in hers.

"I do believe that." He smiled back and squeezed her hand.

They talked for a couple hours, more about everything that was going on, but also just talked to get to know each other. When it was just after 3.00 a.m. Nadia sighed.

"It's really late. I should get home."

"No, you're not driving home this late at night alone, and especially not when you're on your bicycle. You're staying here for the night. I'll put some fresh sheets on the bed. It's time for that anyway."

"I'm a big girl. I think I can get home alright."

"You just woke up four days ago, after being in a coma for months. You might have gotten a lot of your strength back, but you still need to take things slowly. I'm not letting you leave."

"Honestly dad, you're….." They both realized she'd called him dad for the first time. At least it was the first time, she'd called him that when they'd both been completely aware that he was her father, and they just looked at each other not really sure on what to do or what to say. Nadia felt a bit embarrassed. "Uuumm, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that. It just slipped out."

"I don't mind." I replied quickly. He wanted her to know, he really didn't mind. He loved hearing it. She smiled at him, and was relieved that he was happy about it. So was she. "I'll go put those sheets on."

"Thank you…..dad."

"You're welcome…..sweetheart."

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The next morning Sydney was reading the paper and was surprised when Nadia walked in, wearing the same clothes she wore last night. She hadn't noticed she wasn't in her room. She had thought she was still sleeping, and didn't want to wake her.

"You're just getting home now?" Nadia just nodded and smiled at her. "Where have you been all night?"

"I spent the night at dad's."

"Oh." Sydney was surprised by her answer. "I just thought you didn't want to stay there for the night."

"I never said that."

"What? Nadia, what are you talking about? You said that last night." Was her sister going mad?

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. I was standing right beside you, when you told your father that."

"No, Sydney. You were standing right beside me when I told Arvin Sloane that. But he's not my father and you know that."

Sydney looked at her wide-eyed, stunned at what she'd just said.

"You know that…."

"That not only do we have the same mother, but we also have the same father? Yes, I know." She wasn't sure what to say, but when she saw Nadia flash her, a full smile, she did the same. Five seconds later they had their arms around each other.

"I take it by your smile and hug that I don't have to ask you, if you're happy that we have the same father."

"No, you don't, but I'll tell you anyway. Sydney, I'm thrilled."

"How did you know? Did dad finally tell you?"

"No, he didn't." Sydney rolled her eyes, and Nadia couldn't help but laugh. "It's alright, Sydney. He apologized. Several times. I figured it out. When I woke up from my coma and in the days following, I felt like I'd dreamt that he was my father."

"You did look at him and called him dad, when you had just woken up. And he did also visit you all the time. Not only after he found out, but also before."

"Yeah he told me that." She smiled a bit to herself. She couldn't believe he'd been there to visit her nearly everyday, when he thought she was Sloane's daughter. She went on. "I also got suspicious last night at dinner. We had a lot of things in common. I never had anything in common with Sloane." Just then the phone rang.

"I'll get it. Hello?"

"_Hello Sydney, it's Arvin. Could you get Nadia for me please?"_ Nadia had heard who was on the other end and waved to Sydney, indicating she wasn't there.

"She's not here."

"_Where is she?"_

"I don't know."

"_Are you telling me, you don't know where your sister is? Sydney__, you do realize that she recently woke up from a coma, and shouldn't really be out on her own."_

"The doctor said she's doing fine, and she's a big girl. Did you try her cell phone?" Sydney was annoyed with him, but didn't let on.

"_Of course I have. She's not answering. You really have no idea of when she'll be back?"_

"No."

"_Very well. Have her call me the minute she gets home. She needs to call before five though. I have dinner plans. Be sure she gets the message, I want to take her out shopping."_

Sydney couldn't believe he would want to go shopping.

"I might not be home, but I'll write her a note."

"_I would like you to stay home. I really want her to get the message as soon as she gets back."_

"I'm her sister, not her butler. I'll leave her a note." Now she let him know she was annoyed with him. "If there is nothing else, then I'd like to get back to my daughter." She could hear Sloane wasn't thrilled with her reply.

"_No. That was it."_

"Fine. Bye." She hung up the phone, before Sloane could answer, and turned her attention back to Nadia. "Why didn't you want to talk to him?"

"I just learned that he's not my father. I don't want to spoil my good mood by talking to him." There was no mistaken how happy they both were that Jack was Nadia's father.

"What do you say to inviting dad for dinner?"

"I think that's a great idea."

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Jack had enjoyed a wonderful dinner with his daughters and granddaughter. It had been a bit awkward at first, not really knowing how any of them should act towards each other, but it got easier by the minute.

At the moment Nadia was holding Isabelle walking around with her in the living room, while Jack and Sydney were sitting by the coffee table. The door bell rang and Sydney went to open it. It was Sloane.

"Hello Sydney. Is Nadia here?"

She wasn't thrilled to see him, and she didn't let him in.

"Yes, she is."

"Well, can I come in? I'd like to talk to her." She wanted to slam the door in his face, but chose to let him in. "Hello Nadia." He spotted Jack. "Jack, what are you doing here?" He tried his best to hide that he was annoyed. Sydney answered him before anyone else could.

"I invited him. I wanted to spend the evening with my family."

"Very well." He decided to turn his attention on Nadia. "You never called me."

"No, I came home after five. Sydney told me I should've called you before that, so I saw no point in calling."

"I would still have liked a call. You could've just left a message on the answering machine. But let's not talk about that now." He walked up to her to give her a hug. As he was just about to place his arms around her, Isabelle started to cry. Sloane didn't like that. "Sydney, your child needs you. You should take her."

"Actually I want Isabelle to be comfortable with all her family members, so that she'll know who she can turn to for comfort. It's good for her that Nadia calms her down." Sloane didn't like the answer, and he tried his best to mask his irritation.

"Fine. Nadia I came to invite you out for coffee. So why don't you grab your jacket."

"We've already had coffee, and I'm a bit tired, so I think I'll be going to bed soon." She was lying through her teeth. Except for the part about having coffee. She could tell he didn't like her answer. Isabelle had by now stopped crying.

"Very well." He turned to look at Sydney wanting her to invite him to stay, but she was now in the kitchen cleaning up. He continued to look in her direction, thinking she'd return. But she didn't. Sydney had intentionally moved to the kitchen, so she wouldn't have to be in the same room with him. She had no intention of asking him to stay. When he realized he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to leave. He would get Nadia alone another day. "Then I guess I should go." He stepped forward to hug Nadia goodbye, but Isabelle started to cry again.

"It would probably do her some good that I walk her around. Excuse me." She left, leaving Sloane annoyed. But he quickly masked his feelings. Jack was smirking triumphantly on the inside.

"Goodnight my dear. Jack" He turned to Jack and nodded at him, and Jack merely nodded back. "Goodbye Sydney." He called out to her, but she didn't reply. He looked back at Jack. "I guess she's too busy to say goodbye. Fine, fine. I'll let myself out." All he received from Jack was another nod, and Nadia was no where in sight. Then he left.

Hearing the door close, both Sydney and Nadia came back. Isabelle was still crying.

"I thought he'd never leave. Syd, I think Isabelle needs a change. You want me to do it?"

"No, I'll take her."

"Let me." Jack stood up and took Isabelle from Nadia.

"Dad, are you sure?"

"Absolutely." He walked off, leaving Sydney and Nadia smiling at each other. By the time he lay her down on the changing table, she'd calmed down. Isabelle loved her grandpa. He kissed her forehead before starting to change her. "That's my girl, chasing away mean, old Sloane. I will forever be in your debt. Whatever you want I'll get for you." He cocked an eye at her in mock seriousness. "But if you don't remember that I just promised you everything your heart desires, then it's not my fault. Don't expect me to remind you when you get older." He flashed her, a full grin, and she cooed. No doubt she thought he was being really silly right now.

**TBC**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A while later Jack came back, and joined Sydney and Nadia in the living room.

"I put Isabelle down."

"Thanks, dad." They all looked around at each other not really knowing what to say. Finally Sydney spoke. "What are we going to do about Sloane? Now that Nadia knows, we can finally tell him the truth."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Jack and Sydney both looked at Nadia surprised, and Jack felt sad too. She saw the look in their eyes, and felt she had to reassure them quickly. "No, dad that's not how I meant it. I want Sloane to know I'm not his." Both he and Sydney smiled when Nadia had called Jack dad. "You all have your suspicions about Sloane, as I'm sure most people at APO do. He might suspect that you're suspicious of him, but he doesn't think I am. He already thinks we're getting closer, and wants to spend more time with me. I can get the access to his house that you can't. I can go there, look around and see if your suspicions are founded."

"No, Nadia. That's not an option. I don't want you anywhere near him. We'll tell him. I'll tell him. I'll be at a meeting all day tomorrow, and won't be getting home until the evening, so I'll be telling him the day after tomorrow."

"Think about what you're saying. You have an opportunity to know if he's involved in anything again. You can't pass that up."

"Yes, I can. I won't put your life in danger, by having you lurk around Sloane's home. If he is up to something and he finds out you're spying on him, then he might….he might." Jack couldn't get the words out. He was afraid to think about what could happen to Nadia. "I don't want to lose you, sweetheart. I love you." It was the first time he'd told her that, and she could see how much he meant it. She went to his side and hugged him.

She looked at him again.

"I love you too, dad. But are you sure that I….."

"Yes, I'm sure that's the best course of action. I'm protecting you. You're not going anywhere near him until I talk to him the day after tomorrow."

"And that's final." They both looked at Sydney, surprised at her comment and that she was crying through tears of joy. "What? You always tell me that that's final when there's something you won't allow me to do. You should tell Nadia too. I hardly think it's fair that you tell one of your daughters and not the other." She was grinning at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

He turned his attention back to Nadia.

"Nadia that's final." They all laughed, but Jack also gave Nadia a look that said he was serious. She nodded her understanding.

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The next day Nadia had lunch with Eric, and later she had a check-up. Eric had to go back to APO to work and she was now sitting at home, alone. It was late afternoon, getting closer to dinnertime. Sydney was at APO, and Isabelle was with her babysitter. Nadia had said she could look after her, but Sydney had thought she should enjoy her day without having to look after a baby. Nadia felt a bit restless and needed something to do. She decided to pay Sloane a surprised visit at home.

Sloane was sitting in his office in his home, looking at page 47 of the Rambaldi manuscript.

"Soon, soon. I can feel it. I can taste it." Just then he heard Nadia calling him from the hallway. Panicking, he only put the page halfway under some paperwork, and got out to greet Nadia before she came into his office. "Nadia, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come for a visit. The door was open, so I just walked in. I hope that's okay. If you're busy, and can leave."

"No, I'm not busy. I'm so glad that you're here. Why don't we go into the living room and talk? We still have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes, let's." After having talked for a long time Sloane invited Nadia to stay for dinner. "Yes, thank you. I'd like that."

"Good, good. I'll make dinner. You just make yourself at home."

Having been sitting on the couch for a little while doing nothing, she decided it was time to do a little investigating. She walked into his office and looked around, and saw something strange underneath some paperwork. She took it and held it up, horrified to see what it was, horrified to see that her father's and Sydney's suspicions were founded.

Sloane walked back to the living room to ask Nadia how she felt about garlic. He didn't know anything about her favorite foods, about her likes and dislikes. He didn't really know anything about her, but reminded himself that he should ask her everything about herself.

When he saw she wasn't in the living room, he immediately started to panic. He went in search of her hoping she wasn't in his office, and thought it was best to check there first.

He stopped dead in his tracks at the door, when he saw her looking at page 47. She heard him and looked at him, holding up the page.

"What the hell is this? You told me you were through with Rambaldi. You told me you'd changed. You haven't changed a damn bit. You're still obsessed. Why can't you just leave it alone?"

"Nadia, please. This wasn't the way I wanted you to find out. I wanted to tell you about it when the time was right. I want you to join me. Join me, Nadia, and together we can make Rambaldi's greatest work come true."

"What? You want me to join you? You're sick. You're a sick, little, twisted man, and you need to have you head examined."

"Please Nadia. Don't do this. Don't you see that together we can rule the world? It's what's meant to be."

"No it's not. This is what's meant to be." She quickly got over to the burning fireplace and threw the page into the fire. She had her back turned to Sloane, and didn't see him coming. She only heard his shrilling scream.

"Noooo." In his attempt to get to the page before it burned completely, he knocked Nadia over, and she fell, head first through the glass table. She lay completely still, and he could see her blood staining the carpet. In panic he fled his home.

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Jack returned home after being at a meeting all day. He hated meetings. Sitting down on his couch he didn't bother loosening his tie, or taking his shoes off, but sat back rubbing his hands over his head. His cell phone rang, and he groaned. It would've been nice if he could've had just five minutes to himself. Being too tired to see, who was calling, he just answered his phone, hoping that whoever was on the other end would end the phone call quickly.

"Bristow."

"_Da…da…dad."_

He was instantly wide awake.

"Nadia." He would recognize that voice anywhere. Silence. He spoke louder. "Nadia are you there? Nadia." He was terrified.

"_Dad……help."_

"Where are you? I'll be right there, just tell me where you are. What's happened? Nadia."

"_I'm…..hurt……badly."_

"Where are you? Nadia. Nadia. Nadia. Answer me. Nadia. Nadia." The volume in his voice increased with each word.

"_Sloane's……….hurry."_

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Nadia. Nadia." Jack was screaming into the phone, but she didn't answer him. He was terrified that it was too late, but he would still reassure her, even if she couldn't hear him anymore. "I'm on my way, just hang on. Hang on, sweetheart." He didn't want to hang up on her, but he had no other choice. He had to get her help.

"_Hello?__"_

"Peter, it's Jack. I need an ambulance to Sloane's house now. Nadia's hurt, and I'm afraid we're running out of time."

"_Jack__, what happened?"_

"I don't know. Just get an ambulance over there right now." He hung up before Peter could answer him.

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Jack drove to Sloane's house as fast as he could while trying to stay positive.

'_She's fine, she's fine. She's strong. You have no reason to doubt she's seriously injured.'_ But the way Nadia had sounded he knew he was probably kidding himself. When he arrived at the house he ran straight in without giving any thought to anything or anyone. "Nadia. Nadia." He called out for her, but when she didn't answer he started to look around himself. He looked in the living room first and proceeded down the hall. He quickly saw that the door to the office was wide open, and he saw Nadia lying on the floor. He was by her side immediately kneeling down beside her. She had a large piece of glass piercing through her neck, and he removed it gently. When he had done that, he put pressure to the wound and felt for a pulse. "Nadia, it's dad. Wake up sweetheart." He didn't think he could feel a pulse, but then she let out a small moan. Jack was so relieved that he instantly started to cry. "Oh sweetheart." He heard the ambulance. "The ambulance is here. Just hold on, please hold on."

"Jack?"

"In here." Jack's voice was loud and shrilling. Two seconds later Peter was in the room with two paramedics. "She's alive, but her pulse is weak. Please help her. Help her."

"We will, Jack. We will." Peter could see how devastated Jack was, and he wasn't sure his words would be of much comfort. Only when Jack knew that Nadia would be absolutely fine would he relax. Jack let them do their job, and when they put her in the ambulance he stood back for a while after it had left. When he got in his car to leave, he took out his phone.

"_Hello?__"_

"Sydney, it's me. I don't have the time to explain, but get to the hospital. Nadia's been injured."

"_What? Dad__, is she alright? You don't sound too good. What happened?"_

"Just get to the hospital please. I'll explain everything there. Can you get a hold of Eric? I think he should be there too."

"_I'm with him now. I'm at Marshall's. Marcus is here too."_

"Bring Marshall and Marcus too, and get Carrie to take care of Isabelle. And Sydney, hurry." He hung up the phone and drove off to the hospital.

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When he arrived at the hospital he was met by one of the nurses, who had helped take care of Nadia, when she was in a coma.

"Director Bristow this way."

"How's….how's agent Santos?" He had almost said "my daughter", but had corrected himself before it slipped out. He had also gotten his emotions in control on the outside, so as not to cause suspicion. On the inside he was still a wreck.

"Dr. Blake is with her. He'll be here when he can." He was taken to the area near where Nadia was being taken care of, and he sat down on a chair.

"My daughter, Sydney, and some of our colleagues are on the way. Could you please send them this way when they come?"

"Certainly, Director Bristow." Jack simply nodded his thanks, and the nurse left.

Thirty minutes later Jack still hadn't heard anything about Nadia, but Sydney came running down the hall. Eric was running right behind her, while Dixon and Marshall walked hurriedly along.

"Dad." Jack stood up, and Sydney hugged him. "What's wrong? What happened? How's Nadia?"

Jack took in the hug. He needed it.

"She was at Sloane's. She was lying on the carpet covered in glass when I found her. She must have fallen through the glass table or something. Her pulse was weak when they brought her in. That's all I know." Sydney started to cry, and she hugged her father again. Eric was quietly shaking his head. He couldn't believe what had happened to her. Dixon and Marshall were quiet too. Just then Peter came out, and Jack and Sydney broke their hug. "How's Nadia?"

He motioned for them to go with him to a room, where they could talk more privately.

"She's lost a lot of blood, but she's stabile and will be just fine. It was a close call though. She'll need plenty of rest now, and at the moment she's getting that. She's sleeping."

"Did she say anything?"

Peter wasn't sure if he should say anything with Eric, Dixon, and Marshall there. Although they were working on destroying Prophet 5 and whatever their agenda was, he didn't know if they should know about what Nadia had told him. Deciding to take the chance he told everyone what she'd told him.

"She told me, she was at Sloane's to talk, and when he was getting dinner ready she'd walked into his office. There she found page 47 of the Rambaldi manuscript. He caught her, and when she confronted him with it, he told her he wanted her to join in his quest for Rambaldi's greatest work. She refused and threw the page into the fire. He ran up from behind, and in trying to save the page in the burning fire, he pushed her out of the way. She landed head first in the coffee table. She couldn't tell where he went from there."

"He did what? I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill." Eric was fuming with rage. Jack and Sydney stood in shock. Marshall was nearly crying, and Dixon was shaking his head in anger. Jack gave Peter a nod, thanking him, and Peter returned the nod.

"You can all go and see her if you'd like. I'll be in my office if you need to talk, Jack." He left. Eric was still fuming with anger.

"How could he do it? How could he do that to his own daughter?"

Jack and Sydney looked at each other. They needed to tell them about everything. Now that they knew Sloane was involved, they needed all the help they could get.

"Dad, we should tell them."

"Tell us what, Syd?" Dixon looked between Sydney and Jack. "Jack?" Eric and Marshall were now looking between them too. Jack breathed for a moment.

"Sloane is not Nadia's father. I am." Everyone stood completely motionless. They were all in too much of a shock to say anything, so Jack went on. "Back when Nadia needed DNA Dr. Blake found out Sloane's blood wasn't a match. Since it was likely that I could be her father, my blood was tested. Sydney and I have known since then that I'm Nadia's father. Irina was told some time after that, and Nadia only found out the night we'd been to Sloane's for dinner." Dixon was about to speak, but Jack held up his hand. He could see that he wanted to know about Irina. "Yes, Sydney and I are in contact with Irina. She's joined McKenas Cole and Peyton in search of Rambaldi's greatest work. But she's working against them, not with them. We're sharing information, and together we're working on taking them down."

Eric, Dixon, and Marshall were all staring wide eyed at them, not able to comprehend what they'd just heard. Eric was the first to respond.

"You're what? You're Nadia's father and you're working with your mother? Why didn't you tell us? Didn't you think we had a right to know? I think I speak for everyone when I say that we would all much rather have you be Nadia's father, Jack. And as for working with Irina? We've all worked with her before. When you went to free her in Guatemala, we didn't say a word to anyone. And then when you let her go in Sovogda, we kept our mouths shut too. I don't believe you two. What's next? Are you going to tell us that Vaughn's alive?" He was angry, but regretted his last remark, until he saw the look on Sydney's face. She was looking down, but it wasn't because she was sad. It was because he'd been right. "No, no, no, no, no." He was shaking his head. "Vaughn's alive?" Sydney looked at him, a tear running down her cheek as she nodded. "I don't believe it. How could you keep that from me? He's my best friend. How could you keep any of it from me after everything I've ever done for you? I was there for you when you came back, after being missing for two years. I've been there for you while Nadia was in a coma, supporting you through your pregnancy, and helped you get over Vaughn's death. Damn you Sydney."

She was sobbing.

"Eric, I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but didn't for your own safety."

"My safety?" He was yelling. "What the hell does my safety have to do with it?"

"If the CIA found out you were working with my mom, they'd arrest you. And the reason we didn't tell you about Vaughn is because his life was in danger. If you knew then maybe your life would be in danger too. Someone tried to kill him. I didn't want to risk that happening to you. I'm so sorry, Eric." She tried to put her hands on his arms, but he shoved her off. "Eric please." She was pleading with him.

"No. Get the hell away from me." He was hurt and still fuming with rage. "I'm going to see Nadia." He took off leaving Sydney sobbing even more, and she turned into Jack's arms, when he put his hands on her shoulders. He hugged her tightly.

Marshall looked in Eric's direction and then back at Jack and Sydney. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but started rambling like always. And now he was excited.

"Uuumm, can I just say wow? I mean wow, to everything. I think it's really great that you're working with your mom, because I really love her. I mean not love her like I love Carrie, or anything like that, but she's just super sweet. Not that I've ever really spent anytime with her, but she's your mom, Syd, and you're super sweet. Not that you're not super sweet too Mr. Bristow, because you are. You're Mr. Cool. Uuummm anyway, I think it's awesome that you're Nadia's dad. Wow. I feel like I should get you something. Can I buy you a drink sometime or a cigar? No, you probably don't smoke. At least I don't think so, because I've never seen you smoke. But then again, I don't spend much time with you out of the office. But hey, you never kn…."

"Marshall." Jack cut him off. He was getting a headache from Marshall's rambling.

Marshall looked at Jack, being a mix of nervous and apologetic.

"Sorry. I think I'll get some water. I always get dehydrated when I'm really, really excited. Or too nervous. I sweat a lot too, which is why I get dehydrated. And when that happens, you need to drink…." He saw the look in Jack's eyes, and knew it was time to shut up again. "Sorry." When he was almost out of the door he turned around and looked at Sydney smiling. "Syd, I'm so happy that Vaughn's alive. It'll be great to have him home again." She smiled back at him and he left.

It was Dixon's turn to speak.

"I must admit that I'm a little disappointed that you didn't tell us. You know you could trust us to keep it a secret. All of it."

"Yes, but we didn't want you to lie on our behalf. And that might have been even more difficult for you." Dixon knew what Jack meant.

"Because I'm in a relationship with Hayden." Jack nodded. "I appreciate your concern, but the most important thing to me is to catch Sloane. I'll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen. I want to help end this." Jack was happy to hear that, and gave Dixon a small smile, which he returned. "I'll go and find Marshall, and let you two have some time alone with Nadia."

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Eric was sitting by Nadia's side holding her hand. He didn't attempt to hide his tears. "You scared me. Do you know that? I think you took ten years off of my life. As if I'm not already old enough. But I can't really blame you. And I know I can't blame your sister or dad either. I understand that now. But the thought of something happening to you, now that you've just woken up from your coma….It's too much to handle. I let my anger get the better of me. It's just that I love you, and I don't want to see anything bad happening to you." He laughed a little. "I guess I should really tell you that, when you're awake, and not every time you're lying in a hospital bed getting better."

Jack and Sydney walked in and Eric looked up.

"Eric, please believe….."

He cut her off before she could go any further.

"Sydney, you don't have to say anything. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I was out of line. The two of you were only protecting everyone involved and I respect that. Yes, I was angry and hurt, but I'm over that now. Now all I want is to protect Nadia, get Vaughn back safely, and take down Sloane. I want to help and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Sydney hugged him, and Eric looked up at Jack.

"Your help will be greatly appreciated."

"Thanks Jack. I'll leave you alone with Nadia. I'm sure you want to spend some time with her." As he walked passed Jack he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm really happy that you're her father." Then he left.

Jack and Sydney sat down on opposite sides of her bed, and they each took hold of her hand. Moments later Jack broke down crying and Sydney went to his side immediately, hugging him.

"It's okay, dad."

"No, it's not. I was supposed to protect her. I can never seem to protect the people I love."

"That's not true. You told her not to go. She made the choice. And you've always protected me. Always."

"I should've told Sloane the truth yesterday, or when I found out she was mine. If I had, then this wouldn't have happened. I almost lost her, before I had the opportunity to really get to know her."

"I know that, dad, but she's going to be fine, and that's because of you. You got to her in time, just remember that." He nodded, but it wasn't very convincing, she could tell. "Dad, what are we going to do about Sloane? Are we going to bring him in?"

Jack started to dry his tears, and turned to look at Sydney.

"No. I have a much better idea."

**TBC**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Sloane had been hiding out since he'd left his house. He didn't really want to return, but knew he'd have to eventually. His phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Arvin, it's Jack."_

"Jack, what is it? You sound a bit sad."

"_I have some bad news to tell you. I went by your house tonight to drop off some reports, and your front door was open. When you didn't answer I went inside. I was afraid that something was wrong. I found Nadia lying on the floor in your office covered in glass. I called an ambulance and the doctors did the best they could, but….Nadia didn't make it. I'm sorry__, Arvin."_

Sloane listened to what Jack had to say. He couldn't hear anything in Jack's voice that sounded like he knew what had happened. That he was involved in Rambaldi again. He sighed in relief to himself. He was relieved that she had died. With the way she had acted, he knew she'd never join him in his quest for Rambaldi's greatest work. But he had to mask his true feelings. He had to sound sad.

"Nadia's dead? No, Jack that can't be possible."

"_I'm sorry__, but it is. She's at the hospital, and I'm there if you need me."_

"Thank you, Jack. I'll be right there."

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An hour and a half before making the call to Sloane, Jack had told Marshall to check and see if Sloane's security cameras were running. Luckily they weren't. He had then told everyone that they would tell Sloane that Nadia had died. They wouldn't take him in. He wouldn't tell them anything anyway, and it was at this time better he had their trust than their disgust. He was needed to solve the Rambaldi puzzle. They knew that they'd eventually get him, bringing down Rambaldi at the same time.

Everyone else had gone home, and Jack had told Sydney to write an email to her mother, letting her know what had happened and what they'd agreed on doing. Dixon had included Rachel on their plans. They needed all the help they could get. Peter had made arrangements for Nadia to get to a safe house, ninety minutes drive from LA. She was already on her way.

Nearly twenty minutes after Jack had ended his phone call with Sloane, he arrived. Peter had by this time joined Jack.

"Jack, doctor. Please tell me it isn't true. Please tell me that Nadia isn't dead."

"I'm sorry Mr. Sloane. I wish I could tell you she wasn't dead, but I can't. We did everything we could to try and save her, but her injuries were too severe. She was already dead when we arrived at your house."

Both Jack and Peter were on the inside giving Sloane credit for trying to look sad.

"Can I see her please?" Jack put a hand on Sloane's shoulder.

"Arvin, I don't think that's a good idea. Her face is all covered with cuts from the glass, and she's nearly unrecognizable. I don't think the way she looks now, should be the way you remember her. I saw her, and I can tell you it's not a pretty sight." Sloane nodded.

"No, I suppose you're right, Jack. That's not how I want to remember my daughter. Thank you. I just don't know what to do."

"Why don't I take care of the funeral arrangements? I'll talk to Sydney. She'll know what Nadia would've wanted. I'll make sure she gets a closed casket."

"I would like that, Jack. That way I can grieve the loss of my daughter. Thank you. Do you know who did this? Do you know who would want to hurt her?"

"No, but if you'd like, I can look at your security cameras for you?" Sloane feigned shamelessness.

"I didn't have them turned on. How stupid of me."

"Don't worry. We'll get whoever did this. You have my word on that."

"Thank you, Jack. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be alone." He left. Jack and Peter faced each other and smiled. Their plan had worked.

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When Irina had received Sydney's email, she had at first cried her eyes out of how close she came to losing Nadia. Then she had gotten furious. Furious at Sloane. She had gone as far away from her house as she could get. Then she had screamed her hatred out and had cursed him to hell. She couldn't very well do it inside. Having suspected that Sloane was part of the quest for Rambaldi's greatest work, she was glad that she finally knew for sure. But she was repulsed when she knew that one of these days, she'd be face to face with him, having to pretend she was happy that Nadia was dead, and that Rambaldi was all she cared about. All she really wanted was to torture the hell out of him, until he begged for mercy and then she'd slit his throat. She had been thankful to Jack for getting to Nadia in time, and was happy to know that Nadia knew he was her father. But she needed to see Nadia for herself. It had been too long since she'd last seen her. She wanted to see Sydney too, as well as Isabelle. She decided to pay them a visit.

A couple of days had gone by, which was spent doing a lot of explaining. She felt she was always explaining, but reminded herself that no matter how much she hurt now, she would eventually feel joy, and then she wouldn't have to leave home again. She walked out of a room and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she put her face in her hands and sighed deeply. Always explaining.

"Finally asleep?" She looked up and found Sergei looking at her. She simply nodded. "That took a long time, but I know it's because you're leaving. It always takes a lot longer when you're leaving."

"Yeah, and it's never easy." She put her face back in her hands. He went over to her and took them away from her face.

"Irina, look at me. I know it's not easy, but one day all of this will be over. And you're going to see Sydney, Nadia, and Isabelle. Remember that, and be happy about that. They need you. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine. I'm here, and everything will be fine." She smiled at him.

"Yes, you're here. You're always here by my side." He retuned the smile and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, I am, and don't you ever forget it. Why don't you go to bed too? You're getting up early in the morning. You need your sleep. I'll clean-up downstairs."

"Are you sure? We made quite a mess."

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Sergei." She went off to bed. She had a long day a head of her.

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Jack, Sydney, Eric, Sloane, Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, Rachel, Hayden Chase, and a lot of other people who knew Nadia, mostly people from APO, attended her 'funeral'. Sydney, Eric, Marshall, and Carrie were crying. Sydney and Eric because they came close to attending Nadia's real funeral, Marshall because he was the emotional type, and Carrie because she'd lost a friend. Though Carrie had a feeling that maybe Nadia wasn't really dead. There had been something in the way Marshall had told her the news of Nadia's death. She had been told the same story that Sloane had been told, but she didn't quite buy it. She also didn't buy Sloane's grief. Sure he seemed to grieve, but she also knew the kind of person he was. Rachel was also a bit emotional, and Dixon kept up appearances. It wasn't hard for him. He could still vividly remember how it had been like at Diane's funeral. Hayden held his hand through out the entire ceremony, knowing it must be hard for him to attend a funeral. No one had included her in their plans, and no one would. Jack wanted to cry for the same reasons as Sydney and Eric, but knew it was out of the question. He sought comfort in knowing Nadia was far away from here. Like Carrie he didn't buy into Sloane's grief. Neither did the rest of the team.

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While the funeral was going on, Nadia was sitting in the garden at the safe house reading a book. Her recovery had gone well. She had apologized to Jack several times for not listening to him, and for being so stubborn. Jack had apologized too, saying that she partly got her stubbornness from him. Sydney had told her that unfortunately that was one of the family traits. They had laughed together and cried, and were thankful that they hadn't lost each other. As a family they got closer the more time they spent together.

Nadia suddenly heard a sniffle coming from behind her. She immediately got a little scared. No one other than her was here. She'd had nurses by her side for the first few days, and Peter had been to see her for a little while everyday too. Jack, Sydney, and Eric visited her daily, coming with food, beverages, and things to keep her entertained. She was grateful they drove the long way to see her. She nervously turned around, but her nervousness was quickly replaced with happiness.

"Mom."

"Sweetheart." Nadia leaped out of her chair and threw her arms around Irina, who waited for her with open arms. "I've missed you so much. God, how I've missed you." Tears were running freely from both of them, and it took a while before any of them wanted to let go of the other. "Let me look at you. You're so beautiful." She looked at Nadia's scare on her neck. "It's healing nicely." Then she showered Nadia's face with kisses. She took Nadia's face in her hands and looked directly into her eyes. "I love you, Nadia. Please know how much I love you."

"I do, mom. I do. I love you too." They hugged again, and then dried their tears with their hands, laughing a little. "There's a cold pitcher of ice-tea in the fridge, why don't I go and get it, and we can sit and talk out here?"

"That's sounds like a wonderful idea." Nadia walked inside and Irina walked around the garden taking in the view. It was a beautiful place she was being kept in. It was always something that she had a beautiful garden to relax in, when she was so far away from everyone. Nadia returned shortly, and they sad down. Irina took a sip of her ice-tea and savored the taste. She closed her eyes and smiled. Nadia noticed her.

"What is it, mom?"

"This just takes me back. Your father made this, didn't he?" Nadia looked at her surprised.

"Yes, last night. How did you know?"

"He used to make it all the time when we were…when I was….." She trailed off, not quite knowing how to get the words out. Nadia knew what she meant.

"Back when things were different." Irina looked at her and nodded. She didn't quite know how to ask her mother. She looked down in her glass nervously. "And how are things between you and dad now?" Irina was taken aback by her question. She hadn't expected it.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" She looked her mother in the eye this time.

"Is there a chance that things between you two will be like they were back then?" This time it was Irina's time to look down in her glass. She couldn't look her daughter in the eye.

"No, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you. Will you please leave it alone, sweetheart?" She could tell Nadia was hurt, and looked at her. "I know you desperately want us to be a family and that we'll all live together happily ever after, but I just don't see that happening. I'm sorry." Nadia sighed, and looked back at her mom.

"Okay mom. I won't bring it up again." She was still sad, but tried her best to be cheerful. "Why don't we get to know each other?"

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After the funeral Sydney had invited everyone over to her place. She'd told Sloane that they could have the wake at her place, since Nadia had died in his home. He agreed, but only stayed for an hour, saying he'd like to be alone to mourn. Chase had stayed for a while longer, but then she had work to get to.

After a while Jack, Sydney, Isabelle, Eric, Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel were the only ones left. They told Carrie that they all had work to do that unfortunately couldn't wait. In reality all of them were driving off to see Nadia. They had said their goodbyes to Carrie, and as they walked away from her she called out to them.

"Say hi to Nadia for me." They all stopped dead in their tracks, and she knew she was right. She could almost see the hairs on their necks stand up. Marshall quickly got nervous, and tried to smooth out the situation.

"Honey, what are you saying? We just buried Nadia. I think I better get you home."

"Oh stop it, Marshall. I know Nadia is alive. You've all tried your best to hide it, but there were little bits and pieces in your behavior that gave you away. And the way you just acted, has me completely convinced. And I'm willing to bet a large sum of money on all of you working in a black-ops division within the CIA." Marshall looked nervously at Jack and Sydney. Jack sighed and nodded.

"Would you like to come with us?" Carrie smiled and nodded, and everyone was quite relieved that they didn't have to lie to her any longer.

Dixon had explained everything to Carrie on their way to visit Nadia, and she was happy to hear that Vaughn was alive. She was also convinced that Irina was indeed working with them and not against them.

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Nadia smiled when she heard the cars pull into the driveway. She had told Irina they'd be coming, and Sydney had called them from the car saying that they had left LA. She had also told Nadia that Carrie now knew the truth, and that she was with them. Nadia hadn't told Sydney that their mother was there. She wanted that to be a surprise.

Sydney was the first one to walk through the door, and when she reached the living room where Nadia and Irina were now sitting, she stopped abruptly, staring wide eyed at her mother without saying a word. Eric and Marshall were laughing on their way in, and with Eric looking back at Marshall he nearly bumped into Sydney. They too stared wide eyed at Irina, saying nothing. Dixon, Rachel, and Carrie were the next ones to come inside, and like everyone else they stopped dead in their tracks when they reached the living room, just staring at Irina.

Jack was carrying Isabelle, too busy making funny faces at her that made her coo and smile, to look up. Irina looked at him, and took in the sight. He reminded her so much of the time when Sydney was that age, and he made her coo and laugh. Jack suddenly noticed that no one was talking.

"Why are you all so quie….." He stopped talking when he saw Irina, and they locked eyes. Both Sydney and Nadia were looking between their parents, but no one wanted to say anything. Finally Irina did.

"Hello, Jack." Jack still stood there staring at her, and it wasn't until Isabelle grabbed his ear that he snapped back to attention. His mouth had gone dry, so he had to swallow a few times.

"Hello, Irina." He didn't really know what to say to her. "You're looking well." She didn't really know what to say to him either.

"Thank you. You're looking well too."

They still stared at each other, and now everyone in the room except for the two of them, were looking around at each other. Even Isabelle was looking from her grandpa to her grandma. She waved her little hand in the air, but when Jack didn't seem to notice her she pulled his hair on the side of his head.

"Ouch. Isabelle that hurt." He looked at her in mock seriousness, but she wasn't buying it, and smiled widely at her grandpa, grinning a little. He in returned flashed her, a full smile, and kissed her cheek.

Irina let out a warm laugh without knowing it, and everyone turned their attention to her. She felt them all stare at her, especially Jack, and when Isabelle waved her little hands in her direction, she found her escape.

"It seems like someone wants to say hello to her grandma. Do you mind?" She walked over to Jack, kept her gaze on Isabelle, and waited for Jack to hand Isabelle to her.

"No, of course not. I think she'd like to say hello to you too." He handed her Isabelle, and when they touched it felt like his body came alive. She still had that affect on him. He looked at her, to see if there was any sign of her feeling the same way, but she was too busy with Isabelle that he couldn't tell.

Irina took Isabelle in her arms and kissed her tenderly. Isabelle smiled, loving that she was in her grandma's arms.

"I've missed you so much, sweetheart, and it's been too long since I last saw you." She rained kisses on her face and neck and hugged her tight to her body, burying herself in Isabelle's neck. A tear threatened to fall, and she didn't want it to. Not in front of all of these people.

They spent their time together eating and talking, trading information. Jack and Irina hadn't spoken much to each other, other than what had to do with their plans. Irina had gotten to know everyone a little and she was thankful that everyone had accepted and believed her.

She walked with Dixon to the kitchen, carrying some mugs. When they were far away from everyone else Irina spoke to him.

"Marcus, I don't know if you believe me, and I don't want to bring up bad memories for you, but I want you to know I had nothing to do with Diane's death." He looked at her waiting for her to go on. "I'm sorry for what happened to her, and I'm sorry if my actions were in some way responsible for her death. You're one of Sydney's best friends, and I value that, and the fact that you've been there for her for so many years. My agenda back then was to stop Sloane, just like it is now."

He looked at her, taken in what she'd just told him. He studied her, and could see that she was indeed sorry about Diane, and that she was telling the truth.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. And I want you to know that I believe you and know that you're working with us."

"Thank you." They shared a sincere smile, just as Eric walked in, who looked from one to the other.

"I'm sorry did I just interrupt something?"

"No, Irina and I were just finished." He gave her another nod and went to the living room.

"Do you have a minute, Eric?" He closed the fridge, having put the remainder of the milk back, and looked at her.

"Sure. What's on your mind?" He smiled at her, and she was glad he was so easy to be around.

"I want to tell you how sorry I am for nearly killing, shortly before turning myself in."

"That wasn't your fault. A screwdriver is responsible. You're not getting credit for that." He was grinning at her. He had a humor too, she could tell. She smiled at him, and grinned a little, before she looked at him apologetically again.

"I was the one who placed the screwdriver there. I am responsible. You can't deny that." He smiled sincerely at her.

"No, I can't deny that. But I let it go a long time ago. I'm not mad at you. Never really have been, I think."

"That's very kind of you to say. Thank you. And thank you for loving my daughter."

"What?" He looked away a little embarrassed, and Irina couldn't help but laugh at his shyness.

"It's written all over your face, and Nadia has been singing your praises. Sydney also told me in one of her emails that you turned down a highly paying job to stay here with her." He smiled at her. He knew that he was never any good at hiding how he felt about Nadia. "Have you told her yet?"

"Yes, I have." She cocked an eye at him. She knew he hadn't and Eric knew she could tell he was lying. "Okay, so I haven't actually told it to her, when she's been awake. But I did tell her several times when she was in a coma, and the last time she was in hospital. Though I guess those times really don't count. I'll tell her soon. I'm just working up the courage to do it."

"Just jump in with both feet. She loves you too, and she'll tell you that." He nodded at her, and she went over to him and placed her hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "I think I'll go and check on Isabelle."

"She woke up a little while ago. Sydney took her outside at the end of the garden. I think Nadia is there too."

"Thank you." She walked out of the house and spotted them at the end of the garden, enjoying the sight as she walked to them. "She can't quite sleep?" She stroked her granddaughter gently over the head.

"No, she's been missing her teddy-bear. Dad went to get it a while ago. He really should've been back by now. Did you see him on your way out?"

"No, I didn't" Irina didn't have time to say anything else, as Nadia spotted him.

"He's coming now." He handed Sydney the bear.

"That took you long enough."

"Sorry about that. I had a little trouble finding it." He was lying. He had found it in the car easily, but on his way back inside, he'd walked by the kitchen window, and heard Irina's conversations with Dixon and Eric. The window had been a little open, and Irina hadn't noticed.

"It's okay. She hasn't been crying or anything. But she does look happy to have her bear back." The four of them stood smiling and watched Isabelle. "I think it's time to put her down again. Say goodnight to grandma." Irina walked closer to Isabelle and planted a kiss on her head. "And now say goodnight to grandpa." Jack did the same. "And now it's time to say goodnight to your aunt."

"Actually Sydney, I think I'll walk in with you. It's a bit chilly out here. I'll say goodnight to her inside." Sydney knew what Nadia was doing. She wanted their parents to be alone together, so that they could talk, since they hadn't said much to each other all evening. Sydney wanted that too.

"Okay, let's go." They walked away quickly so that their parents didn't have time to say anything.

Both Jack and Irina had an idea of what their daughters were doing, but none of them spoke to each other. They didn't even look at each other. Irina could sense that there was something troubling Jack, and she could tell that he was a bit angry. Not wanting to argue with him, she excused herself after they had been standing there for a while without saying a word.

"I think I'll head back inside. I'm a bit chilly too." When she walked passed him, he turned around and spoke with her back turned to him.

"How is it you can apologize to Eric and Marcus? How is it that you can talk to them, but you can't give me the time of day? How is it that you can't answer my questions?" She turned around, surprised that he'd overheard her conversations. She'd been right. He was angry. She spoke calmly.

"I felt I needed to tell them that. I didn't want them to doubt my loyalties. I wanted them to know how much I regret my past mistakes"

"Oh how noble of you. You would rather tell two people, who are basically strangers to you, how sorry you are, than me? Stop acting like a child, and grow up. It's time you started revealing your secrets." He was raising his voice with every word he spoke, and now it was her turn to get angry. She hadn't wanted to confront him with what she'd learned before coming to the safe house. She thought it was best to leave it alone. After all she couldn't really blame him. But his anger got to her, and she couldn't control hers.

"You're one to talk, Jack. You have your secrets too." He looked at her, not knowing what she was going on about. When she saw that, she went on. "Back when I told you what Sloane did, I noticed you looked relieved. At that time I thought you were relieved that I hadn't voluntarily slept with him during our marriage when he was your best friend, but I learned today that that wasn't the only reason. When you found out, and you thought I had a child with him, you wanted to get even. And who better to turn to than my sister. After all I slept with your best friend at the time, so it would only serve as the perfect revenge to sleep with my sister. You went to her intending to sleep with her, but you didn't. And now that you know the truth about Sloane and me, you're relieved you never slept with Katya. If you had slept with her out of spite, knowing what you know now, you would've felt guilty. But you didn't. You felt relieved.

He looked at her wide eyed, stunned at what she'd just told him. She'd been absolutely right. Knowing now that she didn't voluntarily sleep with Sloane, he had indeed been relieved that he'd never slept with Katya. But his surprise was quickly replaced with anger.

"How did you find about that?" She was still angry too.

"I went to see Katya."

"You what?" His voice was now booming with anger. "Are you deliberately trying to sabotage everything we're working on? You could've gotten caught, and then you would've endangered all of us."

She spat at him.

"Of course not. I don't you dare think that. I needed to see her. I needed to see how she was doing. I'm a spy remember? I know how to move around without getting recognized. I wore a disguise, and no one would've recognized me. No one."

His anger didn't subside.

"Have you forgotten what she did? She tried to kill Sydney."

"No, she didn't. She never would. Did you ever check the bullets in her gun? They were blanks. Katya was in danger herself, and the only way for her to stay safe, was to get 'caught' by the CIA. She knew the CIA couldn't really harm her in any way, and it would eventually be safe for her to walk around without having danger hanging over her head. She would then bargain for a pardon." He looked at her incredulously. "I know how it sounds, but it's the truth. She loves Sydney. Nadia too." They stood staring at each other, and when no one had said anything for awhile, Irina talked again. "Katya didn't know why you didn't sleep with her. All she said was that you took the initiative, but then suddenly backed away from her. She said you just apologized for your behavior, being very gentleman like and then left. Why didn't you sleep with her, Jack?"

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you going to tell me why Sloane," he could see the rage in her eyes of what Sloane had done to her, so he worded his words differently, "did what he did?"

"No."

"Then I have no intention of telling you, why I didn't sleep with Katya." They stared at each other, eyes narrowed at each other.

"Fine." Her voice was low, but filled with rage. She turned around and walked back to the house. Seconds later Jack followed her.

Sydney and Nadia came out the bedroom Isabelle was sleeping in, and they saw their parents walk in. They could see that their parents hadn't had a pleasant conversation. Looking at each other, they sighed and shook their heads.

**TBC**


	18. Chapter 18

I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. I can't really explain why I stopped updating for so many months, other than I think I needed a break from the internet and taking a break from writing fan fics, even though this one is finished. I sincerely apologize, and if no one wants to continue reading the story, I don't blame you.

**vitnux**: I hope you continue to read and love the story, and that you'll be okay with where I'm going with Jack and Irina. Thank you so much for loving my story *hugs* Your English is just fine - I understand you perfectly. :-) I'm Danish, so I know that my English isn't perfect *lol*

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**Chapter 18**

The next day early in the morning, Sydney and Nadia had just said goodbye to their mother. Irina had been able to stay all night, which had been spent talking. They'd both tried asking their mother why she had thought Sloane was Nadia's father, but Irina had told them she wasn't ready to tell them that yet. They knew it wouldn't have been good to bring up their father during their talks.

Everyone else had gone home when it had gotten late in the evening or rather when it was midnight. Jack and Irina hadn't spoken together for the rest of the time they'd been at the house together. When he had left, they'd merely told each other that they'd be in touch.

Now Sydney and Nadia were sitting in the kitchen, drinking a glass of orange juice. They had been silent for awhile not knowing what to say when Sydney spoke.

"It was good to see mom again."

"Yeah, it was great." Nadia smiled a little, but wasn't happy that her parents hadn't left on the best of terms. Sydney saw this.

"I wish they could be together too. But we should come to terms with that never happening."

"I know." She sighed deeply rubbing her head. "I know. I just wished they'd at least get along."

Sydney took a hold of Nadia's hand. "Me too."

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Later in the evening at Sloane's house, Sloane was sitting looking into the fireplace. There had been nothing left of the page, and he was frustrated. He had needed to solve the Rambaldi puzzle. Just then his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hello Arvin. How are you today? I trust the funeral went well yesterday."_

"Hello McKenas. Yes, just fine."

"_Well, I guess it's only a good thing that she's dead. She didn't want to join us anyway."_

"Yes, and she destroyed the page. I needed that."

"_Well, Arvin I'm here to tell you that this phone call is from heaven sent. Irina knows that page by heart, and by her latest report she says that other pages are more the key to finding the last puzzle we nee__d. It's time you come and join us, Arvin. You have nothing tying you down anymore."_

"No, I haven't. But I also just can't leave. I need to tell the CIA something to keep them off my back."

"_You'll think of something. Just think about it fast. I'll be in touch."_ McKenas ended the phone call, and Sloane sat back thinking of a way to get away without rousing suspicion.

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The following day he'd made plans to meet Jack and Chase at APO, where they met in Jack's office.

"Thank you for coming, Director Chase. I know it's rather short notice. Hello Jack." Jack nodded at him, while Chase spoke.

"That's quite alright. Let me start by saying how sorry we all are with the loss of your daughter. She was a good agent, and a very fine person. She'll be truly missed."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"What was it you wanted to see us about?"

"It's actually about Nadia. Although she was only my daughter for such a short time, I miss her greatly. I can't seem to sleep or eat. I just feel so numb." Chase looked at him with compassionate eyes, while Jack wanted to punch his lights out. He didn't however show off this feeling, but just sat by looking at Sloane. "I wanted to talk to you about giving me leave, so that I can go away to grieve. My home is just filled with so many memories of her." Chase didn't think that Nadia had spent much time at his house, but she had to admit that she hadn't known Nadia that well. And she certainly didn't know Sloane.

"I can understand your reasons for wanting to do that, but I have to talk it over with Director Bristow first. Could you wait outside please?"

"Yes, of course. Take your time."

When Sloane had gone far enough away from Jack's office, Chase turned to Jack.

"Jack, do you have any reason to believe that Sloane is part of Prophet 5? That he's in any way involved with something he's not supposed to be involved in?"

He looked her straight in the face as he answered her.

"No, I don't. I believe that he's honestly grieving Nadia's death. And he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary since his involvement with Gordon Dean, who he was only involved with in order to find a cure for Nadia."

She eyed him, but couldn't find any reason to doubt him.

"Okay Jack. Then with your permission, I'm going to grant him leave for as long as he needs." Jack simply nodded and together they walked out to deliver the news to Sloane. He thanked them, and then left APO, thinking it would be the last time he'd see any of them. However, Jack knew that it wasn't.

Later during the day Dixon walked in to Jack's office. "Jack do you have a minute?" Jack nodded and Dixon closed the door behind him. "I just talked to Hayden. She said that the two of you had granted Sloane leave."

"Yes that's correct."

"Do you think that was a smart move? We won't be able to keep an eye on him."

"No, we won't, but I couldn't very well go against Director Chase without making her suspicious of why I wouldn't allow Sloane to go. Besides, he won't suspect us being suspicious of him anymore, now that he thinks we're far away from him. He also needs to be part of solving the Rambaldi puzzle, so he needs to join up with McKenas. And with Irina on the inside, we'll get all the information we need." Dixon could see that Jack was right, and nodded. "Could you tell Marshall and Rachel about Sloane? I'm going to tell Sydney and Nadia."

"Sure Jack." Dixon left and walked to Marshall's office to tell him about Sloane. Jack then called Sydney to inform her. He told her to write an email to Irina, telling her that she would probably meet Sloane soon.

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Shortly after Irina had returned home, she turned on the computer and saw the email from Sydney. She signed deeply. It had been quite an emotional trip, having seen both Sydney and Nadia, not to mention Isabelle, who had grown so much since she last saw her. Then there was Jack. Fighting with him drained her of energy. And now there was Sloane she'd have to deal with soon. It was all too much for her to handle.

Her phone rang and she groaned. She didn't want to talk to anyone now, but knew there was no escaping. Once again she sighed deeply, and then answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"_I'm so glad I caught you__, Irina. I was afraid I wouldn't."_

"You're calling me on my cell phone. You could've gotten in contact me at anytime. What do you want, McKenas?"

"_I have someone I need you to meet. Someone__, who's a part of our team. It's someone, who can help solve the Rambaldi puzzle."_

"Who is it?" She knew McKenas was referring to Sloane, but she had to ask so it would sound like she was interested.

"_You'll meet the person soon enough. I'll need you here right away, so I expect to see you in a day or two."_

"I'll be there in a week."

"_Irina, Irina what is this? Care to explain to me why you're not coming until a week from now?"_

"I have some other businesses to take care of. I'm sure you can understand that, McKenas. No doubt you have dealings on the side."

"_My, my, my Irina, you just get more wonderful by the minute. Yes, I can't lie to you. I do have dealings on the side. I'm not one to stand in the way of business. You just do your thing, and I'll see you here in a week. Bye, bye."_

"Bye McKenas." She hung up the phone, and leaned back in her chair, thankful that he'd believed her lie.

She didn't have any businesses to take care of, but she needed to spend time at home. She also couldn't deal with Sloane right away, having to pretend she wanted to work with him. She needed time to breathe, to spend time with the ones she loved, and time to explain. No doubt this wasn't going to be easy. Again. But she decided not to worry about that at the moment. All she wanted to do right now was go to bed. She had a snuggle date.

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The week had gone by too fast. Irina had enjoyed her time at home, but had also longed for Sydney and Nadia. Isabelle too. It had been so great to see her granddaughter. She had kept in touch with both of them through emails. Jack had set up a secure email for Nadia at the safe house, and though they'd all just seen each other, a lot of emails had been sent back and forth. Irina had smiled broadly, when she had read in an email from Nadia that Eric had told her, he loved her.

Now she was at McKenas's place, where she knew she was about to meet Sloane.

"Hello Irina."

Irina turned around to see Peyton. She was a little shocked, but that feeling was immediately replaced with anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Surprised to see me? Yes, I suppose you would be, since you thought I was killed in Vancouver. Well, as you can see I'm very much alive. So why was it, you weren't there by Jack's side trying to kill me? He obviously wasn't suspicious of you for not being by his side, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Why was it, he wasn't suspicious of you Irina? Is it because you're not really working on our side?"

"You obviously didn't hit your head, Peyton. If you had, then maybe you would've come to your senses and realized that I am on _your_ side. I got The Horizon without making Jack and Sydney suspicious of me. If I had been by Jack's side and not killed you, then he would've gotten suspicious of me, and you wouldn't have gotten The Horizon. Luckily for me, Sydney went into labor, and Jack told me to stay behind with her."

"So you helped deliver your grandchild?"

"Yes, and before you ask me if I enjoyed it, or if I felt anything for my daughter and grandchild, then you can just think again. I wanted nothing more than to leave, but had I left that would've been suspicious. And as I told you before I left for LA, when I got Sydney's trust, I would get Jack's. They still believe that I'm trying to stop Rambaldi, and they won't know any differently before it's too late." Peyton eyed Irina, not quite sure if she believed her or not. She didn't have time to think more about it before McKenas walked in.

"Irina good too see you again. I take it your trip here went well?"

"It's good to see you again too, McKenas. And yes thank you, the trip went quite well. But enough pleasantries. We have work to do. I'm here about Rambaldi, and eager to get started." She was putting on her familiar Derevko business attitude. She was in no way behaving like she'd done when she'd been with Sydney, Nadia, and Isabelle. McKenas smiled at what she said. It was music to his ears. He closed his eyes, breathed in, and let Irina's words linger in his mind.

"Rambaldi yes. That's why you're here, and also because there's someone here for you to meet." He looked over his shoulder and called out. "You can come in now." Sloane walked in the same way McKenas had just come from. He had his usual smirk plastered on his face.

"Hello Irina." His voice made Irina's skin crawl, and the sight of him made her want to vomit.

"Arvin. I should've known you'd join. I can only say that I'm extremely pleased."

"Why thank you, Irina. Too bad Nadia couldn't join us."

"Oh? What do you mean, Arvin?" She was putting on her best game face, pretending she didn't have a clue as to what he was going on about. Sloane looked at McKenas surprised.

"You didn't tell her about Nadia?"

McKenas was sitting on the armrest of the chair Peyton was now sitting in. He was caressing her neck to her great annoyance. She didn't like this kind of attention from McKenas when there were other people in the room. She wasn't just his little plaything. She wanted to make a name for herself in the crime world. She wanted to earn it, and not just having it handed to her, because she was having an affair with McKenas. She slapped his hand away, and McKenas focused his attention on Sloane.

"Well, no. You see when Nadia got her cure, I thought you could convince her to join us, and then we could've had a sweet mother/daughter reunion. A Kodak moment if you will. I wanted to surprise Irina." He didn't offer Irina any apology, just stated the facts. Sloane turned his attention back to Irina.

"Our daughter woke from her coma, Irina, and she was so beautiful. As beautiful as her mother. We were getting closer, and I wanted her to join us, so that you and I could finally give her the family she's always wanted. It would've been so beautiful. But she found page 47 of the Rambaldi manuscript at my house, and didn't want to have anything to do with Rambaldi. When she threw it into the burning fireplace, and I went to save the page, she must've been surprised, because she jumped, and then slipped and fell into the glass table. I tried to save her, but our little girl died, Irina. I'm sorry."

"Oh someone get me a tissue." McKenas being overdramatic stood up, and applauded Sloane. "That was beautiful, Arvin, so beautiful. Better than any soap-opera. Though I don't really watch any soaps. I never seem to be able to follow the storyline. I mean, at one moment this chick is sleeping with some guy, the next moment she's sleeping with his father, then she's doing the father's other son, and then she's back to the first guy. Just too confusing. Real life is so much more entertaining." Sloane just looked at McKenas annoyed. Peyton eyed Irina to see what her reaction would be, but she could see that she didn't look upset by hearing of Nadia's death. She was quite neutral.

"Well that's too bad she died. It would've been wonderful if she'd seen the light of Rambaldi, like the rest of us do. But since she didn't, it's probably just as well that she's dead." McKenas put a hand on Irina's shoulder and the other hand on Sloane's shoulder.

"Yes, too bad but that's life. Now why don't the two of you get started on solving that Rambaldi puzzle? You can always catch up while you're working." He turned around to look at Peyton and reached out his hand to her. "Come on, Kitten, let's leave these two to do some work." Peyton stood up angrily and hissed at McKenas.

"I told you never to call me that." Then she stormed off. McKenas laughed at her outburst, and then looked back at Sloane.

"I told you she was a tiger." He received an annoyed look from Sloane, but just laughed. "Get to work, and play nice, children." Then he left. Sloane looked at Irina again.

"It's so good to have you work with us, Irina. I know I'm certainly looking forward to it." He was about to put his hand on her upper arm to caress her, but she caught it before he could touch her. She twisted it, and he winched in pain.

"Let's make one thing very clear. You and I only work together because we want to see Rambaldi's greatest work come true. Other than that I don't want to have anything to do with you. When we find what we're looking for, you and I go our separates ways. Is that understood?" Her voice was low and dangerous, and she twisted his arm a little more to get her meaning across. He winched even more.

"Yes, I understand." He was begging her with his voice to let go. She kept his hand in place a little while longer before letting go.

"Good. Now let's get to work."

She didn't know if what she'd just done had been the best course of action, but she didn't give a damn. She loathed him, and wasn't about to let him touch her. When he had gone on and on about Nadia, and how he'd lied about the way she died, she'd wanted to break his neck. It took all her willpower to stay in control. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and was glad to see that he didn't suspect that she was up to something she wasn't supposed to be up to. She sat down and started to look through the Rambaldi manuscripts.

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

About a week and a half later Chase came to APO with information regarding the last piece needed to solve the Rambaldi puzzle. She told Jack that they needed to get it, before it fell into the wrong hands.

They had gone over it over the next couple of days, and found that they needed to retrieve an amulet from an archeological museum in Italy. Jack would go in posing as an archeologist, only as such would he be allowed access to the restricted area where the amulet was being kept. The area was closed off, and a security code needed to be entered in order to get in. A staff member at the museum would have to go with him to unlocked the door, and also escort Jack in. Just before Jack would enter, he would place a small device underneath the keypad. The device was small and thin, fitting perfectly with the bottom of the keypad. The security code changed every hour, and the device would be able to decode the security code whenever they needed it, but it needed to stay on the keypad for at least five hours, before it could be used.

While Jack did that, Dixon, Eric, and Rachel would pose as visitors, and stake out any potential obstacles. They would all be wearing glasses that could detect anything. Jack would then return at night and break in to the museum. Marshall would hack in to the security system and turn off the alarms, so that he could walk in freely. He would also hack into the security cameras so that he, Dixon, Eric, and Rachel from a nearby van could keep an eye on the security guards movements on monitors, while Jack was in the museum. Through Jack's earpiece Marshall would be able to tell him the right combination to punch in the keypad. Once inside the restricted area, Jack would place another device on the glass cage where the amulet was being kept. It would then figure out the security code on sight. Then all Jack had to do was punch in the code, get the amulet, leave the area, take the device from under the keypad, and leave the nearest exit. It was a pretty straightforward mission.

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The evening before Jack was set to leave he, Sydney, and Isabelle were at the safe house spending time with Nadia. Sydney had just left to put Isabelle down in one of the bedrooms, and Jack and Nadia were talking on the couch.

"Dad, are you sure the mission is safe?"

Jack couldn't help but smile at how worried Nadia was for his safety. He also knew that she wasn't the kind of person to just sit quietly by and do nothing. She wanted to be part of this mission he could tell.

"Yes, of course I'm sure, sweetheart. I've done this for a long time, and Marshall's gadgets are the best. Everything will be fine, but thank you for caring." He placed a kiss to her temple, and she smiled at him.

"Have you heard anything from mom?" Irina had written Jack an email before she left to join McKenas, saying she'd probably be out of reach for awhile.

"No, I haven't. But I'm sure she's fine. We haven't heard anything about Prophet 5 being infiltrated or others with ties to them. If something was wrong we would've heard something."

"So you haven't been able to tell her about the mission you're going on? Shouldn't she really have the amulet if we're going to stop Rambaldi?"

"Yes, the best thing is for her to get the amulet. I sent her an email telling her about the mission, but she didn't reply, and she would have, when it's about ending Rambaldi. She's probably not able to. We'll find a way for her to get the amulet." Jack gave her a reassuring smile, and she gave him a small smile in return. She would only be able to breathe easy once she walked among the living again. Jack could tell that there was something else on her mind. It didn't seem like it was anything serious, but he was curious nonetheless. "There's something else on your mind. What is it?" She couldn't help but smile at how well her father knew her.

"I was just thinking about when all this is over, and I don't have to pretend I'm dead that I'd like to change my name." He looked at her puzzled.

"You don't like the name Nadia? I think it's a beautiful name." She laughed a little.

"No, I didn't mean my first name. I'm perfectly fine with that. I was talking about my last name. Santos doesn't hold any value for me anymore. So I was wondering if you'd mind if I took your name? I would like to be Nadia Bristow. Would you mind?"

Jack was surprised by her question, but was thrilled. He smiled broadly at her.

"No, of course I wouldn't mind. I'd love for you to have my name." She returned his broad smile, and hugged him.

"Thanks dad. I've also given thought to a middle name. I know you're probably not the right person to ask, but do you think that mom would mind if I took her name, Derevko?"

He could tell she was a bit nervous asking him. No doubt she'd take the name no matter what he said. He smiled at her sincerely.

"I don't think she'd mind at all. But you can always ask her, maybe in an email, or the next time you see her."

She nodded at him, but then looked down a little. She was nervous.

"Do you mind that I take her name?"

"No, Nadia." He took her by the hand and she looked up at him. "You're just as much her daughter as you are mine. I don't mind, and even if I did, I would have no right to stand in the way of your choice." She smiled a big smile at him again, thankful that he didn't mind.

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A few days before Jack and Nadia's conversation. Irina, Sloane, McKenas, and Peyton had come to the same conclusion as the CIA. They made plans to retrieve the amulet as well.

"Well, well kiddies who goes on this mission?" McKenas looked around at the three of them.

"I'll be going. Alone." Irina stated firmly.

"You're not going alone. I'm coming too. You had a reason for me not going with you to Vancouver. You had to get Jack and Sydney's trust. Well, guess what, they're not here, so I'm going."

Irina gave Peyton an angry look.

"As far as I remember, you didn't stay behind the last time, and you nearly killed me. Or the least almost cost us The Horizon. I have no intension of having you with me, so that you can try to kill me again. You're staying here." Peyton returned the angry look.

"You don't make that call."

"Very well." Irina looked at McKenas. "If I'm not going alone than I'm walking out that door, taking all my knowledge of Rambaldi with me, and you'll never be able to find Rambaldi's greatest work. You know you don't want that, so you better tell _Kitten_ to back off." She turned her eyes back on Peyton with a smirk. She knew how much Peyton hated to be called that, and it had the effect she'd hoped for. Peyton was pissed. McKenas tried to smooth things out between them.

"Easy now, easy now. Since I have no doubt you'd actually do that, Irina, then I have no choice than to let you go alone." Peyton opened her mouth to speak, obviously furious of his response, but she didn't get the chance. "It's only right you get punished for going after her the last time, when you were told not to, Kitten." She pushed him out of the way and stormed out of the room. McKenas looked back at Irina and Sloane laughing. "I guess she hasn't quite gotten used to that pet name yet." He focused on Irina. "I'll make sure she stays away. But I must insist on you taking a hand full of men with you for your own safety."

"I appreciate the concern for my safety, but I can do this on my own. I don't need your men screwing up. They'll only get us caught. If trouble arises then I can get out faster on my own."

"I'm sorry, Irina, but that's not up for discussion. If something does happen, then we need someone to return fire. You can't do that alone, while running away with the amulet, and getting it back safely. After all we need each other for Rambaldi's greatest work to come true." He smiled at her, and she thought it'd be best to let him know he was right.

"Of course, you're right. But they're under my command, and will do as they're told."

"Oh yes, absolutely. Now why don't you two plan out the last details, and I'll go take care of Kitten. I'll probably be gone for a long time. The way she acted, it seems like I'll be doing a lot of apologizing." He wiggled his eyes at them, and Sloane felt disgusted. Then he took off. After he was gone, Sloane turned his attention to Irina.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask me to go. I could've been helpful."

For once Irina thought she'd tell him what he wanted to hear.

"No doubt you could've been, but as far as the CIA is concerned, you're on leave grieving the loss of Nadia. If for some reason you were caught, either by guard, the police, or on the security cameras, the CIA would know what you were doing, and they'd come running. We don't need them interfering. You're important to solving this."

"No, you're right. I can't afford to get caught. Thank you for thinking of me." He was giving her his usual smirk.

"I wasn't doing it for you, but for Rambaldi." She didn't smile at him or anything, but merely returned to planning the mission.

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Everything had gone as they should when Jack, Eric, Dixon, and Rachel had been to the museum during the day. It was now night and they were receiving the security code from the device placed on the keypad. Jack was ready to leave and was gathering the last of his gear. Eric was going over it with him.

"So you've got your balaclava, your gun just in case, your earpiece, your intercom, the device for unlocking the glass cage. I guess you're all set to go."

"Yes, I got it. Marshall, how are the security cameras looking?" He turned his attention to Marshall.

"Just fine. There is nothing to suspect on the outside, and the guards are making their rounds on the inside. Okay, so just to go over the details one more time. When you leave here, I'll set the security cameras inside and outside of the museum to go into a loop, showing that everything looks normal, so you won't get spotted on the monitors inside. When you get to the door on the north side, I'll shut down the alarms on the doors, so you can get inside. You have ten seconds before anyone will detect that something is off. Once you're inside I'll turn them back on. We'll then through your earpiece tell you where the guards are at all times, so that you can get to the restricted area. The guards didn't pass by that area anymore than they did anywhere else in the museum, so you shouldn't have any problems with that. You'll get the combination for the lock from us, and then proceed to the glass cage, where you'll place this device." He held up the device Jack would need to unlock the glass cage. "When that tells you the combination you punch it in, open the cage, grab the amulet, lock the glass cage, get out, taking the device on the keypad with you, and leave the same way you came in. Once you get back to the door, you'll tell me, and I'll cut the alarms again. Then you should be home free. When you get back to us, I'll turn the security cameras back to normal. Any questions?"

Jack was about to give Marshall a half annoyed look. He had after all just gone over the plans in great detail, and earlier he had gone over the exact same details. Four times. But he decided to give him a small smile instead.

"No Marshall. Thank you." Marshall was a bit surprised by Jack smile, but returned it. "Okay, let's get this over with."

"Okay, setting the security cameras to go around into a loop now." Marshall pushed a button, and Jack nodded to everyone, while they wished him good luck. He then went out of the van, and walked to the museum. The van was parked a few blocks away, so it wouldn't cause suspicion.

When he was outside the door he put on his balaclava.

"Shut the alarm."

"_Done"_

"I'm in."

"_And alarms are back on. You're clear to proceed down the corridor to your left. Stop when you get there. There's a guard making his rounds."_ Jack did what Marshall told him, and kept out of sight. "_Okay, he's almost far enough away for you to proceed." _A few more seconds went by. _"Go now. Cross the hall, and go down the corridor to your right." _Jack ran across the hall, and down the corridor. _"Guard incoming. Hide behind the sculptor on your right."_ He did, and continued down the corridor, when the guard was out of sight. _"I guess you recognize the way now. Go down the stairs and wait. There's a guard on his way to the restricted area now. We have to wait until he's far enough away for you to proceed, and to get in. You can hide out behind the sculptor on your right in the meantime."_ Jack did as he was told, and waited for four minutes. _"You're clear to go now." _After a long while he reached the door.

"Ready for the code."

"_The code is 7-6-7-7-9-0-2-2-3-4. You're clear to enter once you've opened the door, and to proceed to the amulet. There are no guards inside."_

Jack punched in the number, and the door opened. When he reached the glass cage, he placed the device he brought with him on the cage. It took forty five seconds for the device to figure out the combination. All the while, Marshall informed him that everything was proceeding as planned. After he entered the code, he opened the glass cage and took out the amulet carefully. He looked at it for a little while, studying it, and couldn't believe that this little thing was so important to solving the Rambaldi mystery. It didn't look that special to him. Suddenly he heard Eric's voice in his earpiece.

"_What the hell? Jack, we got major trouble coming in the front entrance. Counting five intruders_." Suddenly Jack heard the sound of gunfire. _"You need to go, Jack. Right now." _Jack quickly put the amulet in his pocket, closed the glass cage, and took the device with him. As he ran towards the door he spoke to the team through his intercom.

"You didn't spot them on the monitors?" His tone was a little harsh.

"_I'm sorry Jack, but we were a little busy looking at the guard's movements, and at the other exits. Besides, what kind of intruders breaks in through the front entrance anyway?"_ Jack knew that Eric was right.

"Fine. I'm at the door now." He got out of the restricted area, and took the device from underneath the keypad.

"_Jack, two of the intruders are down, but you have the last three coming down the stairs. Try to hold them back. We're on our way."_

He ran out towards the stairs, and when it was in sight he also spotted the three intruders, who immediately opened fire. He dove for cover behind a sculptor, and returned fire. Shooting twice he took out one of the intruders. Bullets were flying all around him, and he had to wait awhile before shooting back again. He shot three times, but didn't kill anyone. Suddenly bullets were flying from the other side, and two guards had come from the direction the amulet had been kept. The intruders returned fire and Jack waited out the result. The fire from the other side stopped and Jack found himself being shot at once again. Realizing he couldn't just sit still, he fired four shots towards the intruders while he ran back to the restricted area.

"I'm retrieving towards the restricted area. I'll see if I can't trap them. What the hell is taking so long?"

"_We tried to take a shortcut, but the roads were closed. We're sorry, Jack. We'll get there as fast as we can."_ Jack response was a mere groan.

The two intruders chased him, and he had to zigzag to avoid the bullets. He fired back twice, killing one of the intruders. Running passed the restricted area he ran towards unfamiliar territory, with only one bullet left. He ran down what he thought was another corridor, but it was a dead end. Hearing the intruder right behind him, he turned and fired his last bullet. It didn't kill the intruder, but merely grazed his arm. With no escape Jack could only stare down the barrel of a gun.

A single shot was fired, but it wasn't Jack, who fell to the ground. He looked down at the intruder, who lay dead on the ground, and looked up when someone came into his sight. The shooter was wearing a balaclava, but Jack would recognize those eyes anywhere. Irina. They stood for a few second just looking at each other, but snapped back to attention when they heard sirens.

"Do you have the amulet?"

"Yes."

"Then we better get out of here. This way."

Irina ran off, and Jack followed close behind her. They ran into another corridor, and into a storage room containing cleaning and rest rooms supplies. In there was a small window where they made their escape from. Irina went out the window first, while Jack communicated with the team.

"I found a way out. Drive away from the museum, the place is about to be surrounded with cops. Switching off intercoms, so they won't pick up any signals. I'll switch them back on, when I'm out of reach from them."

"_Okay. Good luck."_

Irina helped Jack out of the small window, and they ran off of the grounds of the museum. They found a place to hide out, where they could see one police car after another surrounding the museum. They took off their balaclavas and looked at each other, both out of breath.

"We need to get further away than here, Jack. Come on."

They kept running until they reached a rundown warehouse down by the harbor. The sirens no longer audible. Irina leaned against one of the walls, clearly frustrated.

"Damn it. This wasn't the way it was supposed to go down." Jack looked at her waiting for her to go on. She looked up at him. "The team I had with me, the team McKenas insisted I bring, was supposed to make noise outside the museum, so that the security guards would go and investigate, getting their attention away from the security cameras. I was then supposed to go in through the window we just escaped from. It was the only place that didn't have an alarm. I had the equipment needed to break in to where the amulet was being kept." She took out a small bottle, and Jack looked at it curiously. "Acid. It was the only thing we could come up with that would break down the security code." She had seen the question in his eyes. She threw it as far as she could. Jack looked at her a little alarmed. She saw that too. "Don't worry. It's not dangerous to inhale." He nodded. "I suspect Peyton's involved in this."

"Peyton?" He looked at her surprised.

"Yes, apparently you didn't kill her after all." There was no accusation in her tone. She just stated the facts. "I didn't know she was alive until a few days ago. I haven't been able to contact you since I went to join McKenas. I had no idea you were coming."

"I figured as much. I wrote you an email telling you about the mission, but when you didn't reply I assumed you weren't able too." She nodded.

"I couldn't risk contacting you at McKenas' place."

"I wish you would've. Innocent people died." He wasn't really angry, but more frustrated that things had gotten so much out of hand.

She on the other hand got angry.

"I know, Jack. You think I like killing innocent people? Nothing would've happened if my team had listened to me. But they didn't, so unfortunately those security guards were killed by my team. But more important things are at stake, and I couldn't endanger what we're working so hard to destroy."

Now it was his turn to get angry.

"Was that how you felt when you killed all those CIA agents all those years ago? That it was unfortunate that they had to die, but that the KGB was more important?"

Her anger increased.

"The last time we met, you wanted to know my secrets. Well, let me tell you one right now. I never killed them, Jack. The only one I killed was Bill Vaughn, and that was because of Nadia. And I'm not sorry I killed him. I'm not a cold-blooded assassin as people think I am. Yes, I have killed in cold-blood, but I didn't kill all those CIA agents. They were set up, so that I would take the fault for them." He stood looking at her, shocked at what she'd just told him. When he hadn't said anything, she gave up. "Fine, don't say anything. Just give me the amulet, and I'll be off."

He snapped out of his shock, and was still angry.

"No, you're not walking away this time without explaining. Start talking." She hadn't calmed down either.

"Fine. I'm sure you know by heart the names of the agents, who were killed, as well as the dates of their deaths, where in the world they were killed, and the time they were killed."

"Of course."

"Agent Stanley Cooper was killed in Australia just before 06.00 a.m. Australian time on February 15th. Correct?"

"Yes." His anger hadn't subsided yet.

"During our marriage you missed out on a lot of occasions because of your work. Sydney's birthdays, mine, yours, Thanksgiving, Halloween…."

"What's your point?" He caught her off. He was still angry, and although she was too, she spoke with a calmer voice than he.

"There was one occasion you were always home for. Jack, when is Valentine's Day?"

"What? What the hell does that have to do with anything? Just get to the point."

"Humor me, Jack." He shook his head in frustration.

"Fine. Valentine's Day is February……….14th." Realization dawned on him, and it was visible.

"Yes Jack that's right. It's February 14th. So you tell me how I could kill agent Cooper in Australia on February 15th at 06.00 a.m. their time-zone, when it was February 14th in LA, and I was celebrating Valentine's Day with you."

He didn't have to look her in the eyes to see she was telling the truth. He remembered that Valentine's Day, just like he remembered every Valentine's Day they'd spent together. That year was the first time they celebrated it in LA, after moving there the year before. During a trip to the beach the previous summer, they had explored the rocks and found a cave that was well hidden away. Since discovering it they came back to it all the time. She had insisted on them celebrating Valentine's Day in the cave, and spending the night in spite of how cold it would get. They had made love all night long to keep each other warm. His anger subsided from his face, and she could tell that he knew she was telling the truth.

"Go on."

Her anger subsided too.

"I went to Australia for a seminar on February 18th. The KGB had information that agent Cooper would be there at that time too, and they had planned his assassination for the 20th. But all of a sudden his plans changed and he came to Australia earlier. They couldn't make me go to Australia sooner, because I was attending an actual seminar, and I was going with colleagues. So they decided to carry out the assassination. The dates were so close together that they didn't think anyone would notice. They believed they could still put the blame on me."

"What about the others?"

"It was the same way. I would always be in the same area or town where the assassination took place. I would take the fault for them, but someone else did the dirty work. I tried my best to document my whereabouts at the time of the assassination, but I wasn't always successful."

"What do you mean by documenting your whereabouts?"

"Most of the times I was away with colleagues, and I would make sure we made plans to be somewhere during the assassinations. Sometimes we would go to the movies or out to dinner if the assassinations took place at night. If the assassinations took place during the day, I'd make sure we went sightseeing if we had the opportunity. And if we didn't, I'd make sure to take pictures of us, with a camera that showed the date and time. I would keep movie tickets, checks, receipts, anything that showed what time I had been there, and where I had been. There were times when the assassinations took place during the night, and I was in my hotel room sleeping. I couldn't document that."

He remembered how she used to save everything. Receipt, various tickets, small pieces of paper with little notes on them. He never understood why she did that. He just thought it was one of her little quirks. He was still curious though.

"Why didn't you say something about this sooner?" Her mind stood still for a moment from what he'd said. He hadn't doubted her.

"It was never the right time. When I turned myself in, my plan was to stop Sloane. The time, you and I spent looking for the people responsible for Sydney's disappearance, was about her, not me. If you hadn't let me go in Sovogda, but brought me back, I would've told the CIA everything, hoping that I could make some kind of deal. A house with guards around, or something that would allow for Sydney and Nadia to visit me. And hopefully with some kind of access, which would allow me to leave the house, so that I could also visit them. It wouldn't matter if I had to wear a tracker. I would agree to almost anything as long as I would be granted some kind of freedom."

He looked at her incredulously, taking in what she'd just said. Then he asked her nervously.

"Irina, you're not sick are you? You're not…..dying?" She looked at him, not believing what he'd just said. Then she broke out laughing.

"No, god no." She was still laughing, but when she saw the worried and soft look in his eyes, she stopped, and spoke softly. "No Jack. I'm not dying or sick. I'm just tired of being in danger. I need to stay safe." He couldn't quite explain the look in her eyes when she'd said she _needed_ to stay safe. But he didn't have time to think more about it, before she went on. "But what good would it really do that I told, I never killed those agents? I wouldn't be able to prove that I didn't kill them." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she looked at her watch. "I should really be going, and you should contact your team. Are you here with Sydney?" There was hope in her voice of the chance that she might be able to see her, even though she had to get going.

"No, she's back in LA. I'm here with Eric, Marcus, Marshall, and Rachel." She nodded her head, but there was no mistaken the sad and disappointed look in her eyes. "She misses you too. Nadia too." She looked up at Jack and smiled. "They're doing fine, though Nadia is getting a bit restless from sitting back and not being able to participate. And Sydney misses Vaughn, but Isabelle is keeping her busy. But other than that they're fine. All three of them." She could almost feel tears in her eyes starting to form. She missed them so much. "How are you holding up?" She couldn't believe how sincere he sounded, and how soft he spoke. She hadn't been used to him doing that in a long time.

"I'm okay, but I can't wait for this to be over. I'm spending too much time with Sloane and it's making me sick. You should've heard the way he lied about trying to save Nadia, and about his so-called love for her. He even thought that if she'd seen the light of Rambaldi, he and I could give her the family she never had." She shivered at the thought. "I would actually rather spend time with Peyton, than spend time with him." A little smile appeared on Jack's lips. She looked back at him, and smiled. "Thank you for asking." They looked at each other a little longer, but then it really was time to go. "I need to go. Do you have the amulet?"

"Yes." He took it out of his pocket and gave it to her. She put in her pocket.

"Say hi to the girls for me and tell them that I love them, and say hi to everyone else for me too."

"I will. Stay safe Irina."

"You too, Jack." When she walked passed him she put her hand on his upper arm, and gave it a little squeeze. As she was just about to let go, he placed his hand over hers, running his thumb over her fingers and knuckles. They locked eyes once again, giving each other one last smile before she left. Jack watched her leave, and when he couldn't see her anymore, he switched his intercoms back on.

"I'm at the harbor. Meet me by the fishing boats."

**TBC**


	20. Chapter 20

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you. I'm so happy to hear you love it. :-) I'm thrilled that you loved the part about Nadia changing her last name. Kiss to you too. :-)

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**Chapter 20**

When Jack and the team arrived back at APO Chase wasn't happy to say the least. They had spent hours explaining how it all went down. Jack had said that in trying to escape from the intruders he'd dropped the amulet. They'd stuck to the truth of why Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel weren't able to get to the museum earlier. When she had no reason to doubt them, she told them to step up their search on Prophet 5. They had to identify the members and catch them before things went out of hand.

Jack had let everyone else in on what had really happened, and when he had been alone with Sydney and Nadia, he had passed on Irina's message about how she loved them and missed them. He had smiled a little when he'd told them, and it left Sydney and Nadia hoping that maybe everything wasn't lost between their parents.

One night not long after coming back from Italy, Jack had just been to see Nadia. But instead of driving home, he went to one of his storage spaces. He had four of them containing weapons, gear needed for missions, medical supplies, money, and other things similar to those things. But he also had a bigger storage space containing something completely different, and that was where he was heading now.

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Back at McKenas' place everyone was thrilled that Irina had gotten a hold of the last piece needed to solve the Rambaldi puzzle.

"Now Irina, aren't you glad I insisted you bring a hand full of men with you?"

"They nearly cost us everything. They were supposed to make noise outside, not break in through the main entrance. If they'd just stuck to the plan, then all hell wouldn't have broken loose." She turned her attention to Peyton. "I suspect you had something to do with how things went down. Did you order them to kill me too?" Peyton just stared angrily at Irina.

"Now, now kiddies relax. Everything turned out perfect. So we lost five men. That's no big deal. And I know none of us cares about the security guards. So let's just celebrate that we have the last piece we need." Peyton eyed Irina.

"Maybe Irina's sorry that the security guards were killed. Are you Irina?" Irina laughed throatily at her.

"Don't be silly, Peyton. Of course I'm not sorry. But things got out of hand, and because of that we could easily have lost the amulet." By the look in Peyton's eyes Irina still hadn't convinced her. She had a feeling she never would be able to convince her, and since finding out she was alive she always made sure to keep an extra eye on her.

"See. Irina's not sorry. Now Peyton, why don't you come with me? We need champagne to celebrate." He took Peyton by the hand and dragged her along. That left Sloane and Irina in the room alone together.

"It's within our reach now, Irina. Can you feel it? Within long we'll have everything we ever wanted. Rambaldi's greatest work will finally come true."

"Yes, it's feels absolutely wonderful. I can hardly wait. And hopefully it won't take us long to figure everything out." They shared a triumphantly smile. Sloane smiled because of Rambaldi. Irina smiled because he would soon get what he deserved.

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McKenas and Peyton were in the wine-cellar and McKenas was looking at the different champagnes.

"Ah, this one. Yes, this is excellent to celebrate Rambaldi with." He showed it to Peyton, but all he got was an angry look. "What's wrong, Kitten?" That earned him an even angrier look. "Okay Peyton. Peyton. Are you happy now? What's wrong, _Peyton_?" It really didn't do much for her mood.

"I don't like that you believe everything Irina is telling you. I don't believe her. And further more, I don't like that she gets to do everything. I should be more included." She crossed her arms and leaned angrily against the shelves, which nearly caused some of the wine-bottles to fall down. That made McKenas a little jumpy.

"Easy now, easy now. No need to ruin the very expensive wine." He took her by the elbow and dragged her away from the shelves. "I believe Irina, because I can see the desire in her eyes. She wants Rambaldi's greatest work to come true, just as much as the rest of us." He hadn't really convinced her, and he thought he better cheer her up. "Now about you not being involved much. I have the perfect job for you." That got her attention. "The members of Prophet 5 have asked to see the amulet, so that they know for sure that we have all the pieces needed. But I think the number of people getting in on Rambaldi's greatest work is too big. So, instead of going there showing the amulet, you go there showing them bullets. I need them all dead. Now will you do that for me…..Kitten?" She smiled at him liking the idea, and didn't mind the pet-name at that moment.

"Yes, absolutely."

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A few days later the CIA had identified all the members of Prophet 5. Only hours before they were set to leave to arrest them, they got confirmation that all the members had been killed. Chase was at a loss of who could've done it, but everyone else had a feeling McKenas was behind it. They hadn't heard anything from Irina yet, but knew it could only really be a matter of time before they would. Soon they would end Rambaldi.

Five days later Sydney arrived home and found Rachel at the door.

"Hi Rachel. Are you one your way out?"

"Yes, I thought I'd better give you some time alone." Sydney looked at her curiously

"Why would I want to be alone?" Rachel smiled at her.

"Because someone is waiting for you in the living room." She left, and left Sydney even more curious.

She took off her coat, and walked slowly into the living room. When she saw the sight before her eyes, she stopped dead in her tracks, and tears immediately started to fall from her eyes.

"Vaughn." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Vaughn was sitting on the couch holding Isabelle in his arms. When he heard Sydney, he looked up and smiled before he met her on the floor in a big hug. "You're really here. I can't believe you're really here."

"Believe it, Syd." They hugged for a little while longer before letting go. By this time Vaughn was crying too, and they kissed passionately. Isabelle cooed in delight. They broke apart laughing at Isabelle, and Vaughn gave his daughter a kiss on the head. "It seems she's happy to have me home too. Gosh, she so beautiful. Thank you so much for giving me such a beautiful daughter."

"I didn't make her on my own. Thank you too." They kissed each other again and then sat down on the couch. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be here?"

"The monks, who've been taking care of me, were told by your mother that since Prophet 5 no longer exists, it would be safe enough for me to return. I'll have to talk to your father about it though. Maybe I should hide out at the safe house with Nadia until it's time to take down Sloane and McKenas. "

"You know about Nadia?" She was surprised.

"Yes, I've been caught up with what's been going on. Your mother got that information through. How is she?"

"She's just fine. A bit restless though, from pretending to be dead, and not able to go anywhere."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. But she wasn't really who I meant. Well, of course her too, but I meant your mother." That surprised her again.

"Uh, mom's fine. It's been awhile since I last saw her. Dad saw her recently when they were both in Italy, getting the last Rambaldi piece. Why do you all of a sudden care about my mother's wellbeing? Don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful if there wasn't any animosity between the two of you whenever you're together. But I guess that will never happen." She was a little sad, but understood perfectly Vaughn's situation. He looked at her incredulously.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Syd, your mother came to Bhutan. She was the one who delivered the news about Isabelle, and she brought me pictures." Now it was her turn to not believe what he'd just said.

"She did what? I know she'd make sure you got the pictures. But I never knew she was the one who brought them to you. I wonder why she never told me."

"I don't know. Maybe she didn't want to influence anyone's feelings towards her. Maybe she just thought she owed me that much that she didn't think it was necessary to mention it to anyone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"About my relationship with your mother. I'll never forgive her for killing my father, but I understand that he stood in her way of getting to Nadia. If anyone stood in my way of getting to Isabelle, I would kill them too. I'm not saying that everything will be picture perfect between the two of us, but things are only bound to get better. And I want Isabelle to get to know her grandmother. I'll never stand in the way of that, and I'll go anywhere in the world, so that they can spend time together." Sydney was crying again from hearing what he had just said. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Thank you, Vaughn. Thank you. I love you so much." She kissed him again.

"I love you too, Sydney."

After talking for a few hours, they decided to call Jack to let him know Vaughn was home, and get advice on what to do about it. He arrived thirty minutes later.

"Hi dad. Come on in." She let her father in and gave him a hug once he was inside.

"Hi sweetheart." He could see how much happier she looked than she'd done in a long time. There was no mistaken how thrilled she was to have Vaughn back. "Hello Vaughn. It's good to see you again." He went over to Vaughn and shook his hand.

"Hi Jack. It's good to see you too." They exchanged smiles, and then sat down on the couch. "So? What are we going to do about me? Do I step out into the world of the living, or do I go and live with Nadia until it's time?"

"With Prophet 5 down, I see no reason why you can't live among the land of the living. It's better to have you at APO where we have all the resources we need. I'm sure you know by now, which people know you're alive. So, we just have to smooth things out with Chase, and Langley. Langley can be done from here. You'll probably be asked millions of questions, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't let you back in with the CIA. It's after all what's best." Vaughn nodded. "And congratulations." Vaughn looked at him curiously. "About becoming a father. You have a beautiful daughter. But she takes after her mother after all." He gave Vaughn a little smirk, and he couldn't help but laugh at Jack comment. Neither could Sydney.

"Thank you Jack, and yes, she certainly does. I hear you've been spending quite a lot of time with her." Jack nodded. "I'm glad. She couldn't get a better grandfather." Jack gave Vaughn an appreciated smile, and started to like him more and more. "So, when will you take me to APO?"

"Not until tomorrow. I think the two of you and Isabelle deserve the first night at home alone together. I'm going to visit Nadia. I talked to Rachel on my way out, and she's coming with me. Eric too. I should go and leave you two alone. Is it okay if I just look in on Isabelle before I leave? I assume she's sleeping?"

"Yes, of course it's okay. And yes, she's taking a nap."

"I guess I should congratulate you on becoming a father too. I was happy when I heard you were Nadia's father."

"Thank you." He returned the smile he got from Vaughn and went to check on Isabelle.

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The next day everyone had been informed that Vaughn had returned. Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel were the only ones at APO, who knew what really happened. Everyone including Chase was told that Jack and Sydney had faked his death, because Prophet 5 believed he had information that was of valuable to them.

Sydney and Vaughn arrived at APO together and walked down hand in hand to one of the meeting rooms. Fellow colleagues shook Vaughn's hand and told him how happy they all were that he was back.

However, things in the meeting room didn't look all that good. Chase stood with her arms crossed looking very angry as they walked in.

"Agent Vaughn, agent Bristow have a seat." Jack, Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel were already sitting and waiting for them. Vaughn smiled at everyone, and they all returned it. Except for Eric, who like Chase looked angry. "While I'm happy that you're alive, agent Vaughn, I'm very disappointed in not being let in on what was going on and the truth about you. As you probably know you have days of interrogation ahead of you, starting in a few moments. I'll give you a few minutes to say hello to everyone. We were all happy to hear that you were back, so I'm sure you'd like a few minutes to talk to them." She walked out the room. Rachel stood up and walked over to Vaughn. He stood up too. She reached out her hand and he took it.

"Hi. Good to see you again. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

"Me too, Rachel." Dixon was next in line, and he shook hands with Vaughn.

"Welcome back. It's good to have you back."

"Thank you. It's good to be back." They stood for a few seconds smiling and then gave each other a hug while still shaking hands. Dixon then gave Vaughn a light pad on the back, and Marshall was next.

"Uh Vaughn, I just want you to know how much I've really missed you. Obviously not as much as Syd, but still a good amount. And that I…that I." He was getting very emotional and couldn't quite get the words out, but finally just blurted them out. "I love you." Vaughn eyes widened not really sure of what to do or what to say. "Again, not love you like Syd loves you. It's not like I'm in love with you or anything. But I love you like male friends love each other. You know in the buddy kind of way. We are buddies, right?" Vaughn couldn't help but laugh a little at how Marshall was reacting and rambling.

"Yes Marshall, we're buddies. And thank you." He gave Marshall a hug, which he eagerly returned.

"It's so good to have you back." They let go of each other, and Vaughn looked over at Eric, who were still sitting in his chair looking down in the table. When he didn't get up, Vaughn walked over to him.

"Hi Weiss. Aren't you going to say hi too?" Eric still didn't say anything or look up. "Weiss, hello." He put his hand on Eric's shoulder, but Eric just shook it off. "Come on. Please stop." He leaned into Eric a little closer. "I'm sorry you didn't know I was alive until recently, but it was safest for everyone that you didn't." He tried putting his hand back on Eric's shoulder, but once again Eric shook it off, and this time he stood up and turned his back to Vaughn. Everyone was puzzled by Eric's reaction. They all knew how mad he'd gotten, when he'd first learned that Vaughn was alive, but they all thought he was past that now. Vaughn tried reasoning with him again. "I'm sorry. Please talk to me." This time Eric turned around.

"Yeah, you should be sorry." Then he pushed Vaughn hard. But before Vaughn could respond, Eric had him in one big bear hug. He laughed a little. "I just thought I'd put on a show for the folks outside the meeting room. It would seem unnatural if I just welcomed you back with open arms. After all, I'm your best friend. So it would only seem natural that I would look hurt, about not being included in on you faked death." They let go of each other, and a goofy grin was plastered all over Eric's face. "It's good to have you back, buddy. But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself."

Vaughn grinned back.

"Good to know." They hugged again, and everyone else smiled.

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After nearly a week and a half of interrogation and meetings Vaughn was led back into the CIA, with the same status as he had before. He had stayed with Sydney, but looked out for any type of danger whenever he went out. Just in case.

He and Sydney had been out to dinner alone the night before, and Jack had taken care of Isabelle at his apartment. When they went to pick her up, they'd forgotten her teddy-bear, and Vaughn went to Jack's to get it. He hadn't called ahead, but assumed he was home, since Eric was visiting Nadia.

Jack was sitting at his coffee table going over reports and notes, comparing data, and taking notes when there was a knock at the door. He walked up and looked out of the peephole, and was relieved it was Vaughn. Had it been Sydney he wouldn't have opened. He knew he could probably get rid of Vaughn easily. He wouldn't have been able to get rid of Sydney that easily.

"Hi. What brings you by?"

"We forgot Isabelle's bear here last night. I came to get it."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I would've brought it with me to APO today, but I forgot. Let me just go and get it."

"Can I come in? I could really use your bathroom, if you wouldn't mind?"

Jack stood still for a moment. He didn't want to show Vaughn all the paper work on the table, or tell him what he was doing. But he also realized he couldn't very well send Vaughn away. Deciding not to care how Vaughn felt about the paper work on his table, he let him in.

"No, of course I don't mind. Come in." Vaughn walked in and noticed everything that was scattered all over the table.

"What's all this?"

"Take a look."

Jack knew there was no point in lying, so he decided to let Vaughn see for himself. Vaughn looked at Jack a little curious, but sat down on the couch, and started looking at everything. After spending about twenty minutes going over some of the things, he looked up at Jack.

"I want in."

**TBC**


	21. Chapter 21

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you so much for saying that - you're much too kind. :-) I'm also glad to know that after several months of not updating someone is still reading - thank you.

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**Chapter 21**

At McKenas' place everything had finally come into place. They'd calculated all the Rambaldi pieces together, and found out that Rambaldi's greatest work was eternal life. Through the pieces they discovered that Rambaldi's tomb was in a cave in Mongolia, and it was there they needed to go to complete everything. They now stood looking at a map of Mongolia.

"According to the coordinates the cave should be right here." Irina pointed on the map. McKenas ran his fingers lightly on the place Irina pointed at. Then he closed his eyes, and breathed in the sweet success.

"We will all live forever." He clasped his hands together in excitement. "Just picture all the money we can make. We can destroy everything we want. Cities, national landmarks, countries. Everything. And then we'll be there to help rebuilt it. We'll cash in big time, and people will be grateful to us. They'll treat us like royalty. Hell, we'll be able to own countries, and have its people beg at our feet. Sweet success, sweet success indeed." He walked over and planted a huge kiss on Peyton's lips, who was just as eagerly excited about Rambaldi's greatest work and what they could do with it.

Irina put on her best game face, and gave a big throaty laugh. She too caressed the place on the map where Rambaldi's tomb was.

"It's perfect. Absolutely brilliant. Rambaldi was a true genius. This is truly more than we could've ever hoped for. Destruction, wealth, everlasting life." She closed her eyes and savored the feeling. Or so she let them to believe.

"Yes, I must say it's brilliant, it's perfect." Sloane had moved up close to Irina, and they were touching each other by their arms. It made Irina sick to her stomach. She decided to turn around and take a seat in one of the chairs, and instead focus her attention on Peyton.

"Isn't it beautiful, Peyton? Isn't it just perfect?" Peyton still didn't trust Irina. Even though she'd been the one most responsible for putting the pieces together and located the tomb, Peyton still had her doubts. She decided to just play along with Irina. If it turned out she was right about her, then she would enjoy killing her even more.

"Absolutely Irina. Just perfect."

"So when do we leave for this wonder?" It was obvious that Sloane was eager to get to Mongolia.

"Two weeks from now. I'll send a team to find the cave, and then they'll make sure to clear the way, so that we have free access. Go home or take a vacation. Just spend your time relaxing. Because when we go to Mongolia, all hell will break loose, and you won't have time to rest for a long time."

"Two weeks sound good."

"My, my Irina. Are you so eager to get out of here? Do you have some where you need to be?" Peyton eyed her again.

"As a matter of fact I do. I've endured you for far too long. I need to be as far away from your face as I can get, Kitten." Peyton got pissed and it didn't help that McKenas snickered at Irina's comment.

"Okay kiddies. I'll go make the arrangements and send a team. Let yourselves out and do it quick. Peyton and I will be doing our own private celebration shortly, and unless you'd like to watch I suggest you leave right now. Two weeks, kiddies, and we'll own the world." He left the room, dragging Peyton along. At this moment Irina and Sloane had one thing in common. They were both disgusted by McKenas.

"So, Irina? Where are you going to spend the next two weeks?"

"Far away from here. And that's all I'm telling." When she didn't ask him where he was going, Sloane decided to tell her himself.

"Well, I guess I'll go somewhere……tropical. Nothing like a little sun to charge the batteries. It's not like I can go home. Sure the CIA isn't on to me, but it's probably for the best that I stay away."

"Yes, probably. I'm leaving now. I have no intention of staying for the show." She left without saying anything more. Sloane took one last look at the map, and breathed in the sweet success before he too left.

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Irina had gone home to Russia for several reasons. She needed to spend time at home with the ones she loved. It had been too long since she'd last been home. And since she needed to leave again soon, she needed to be there as much as possible. She also needed to send Jack an email, telling him what Rambaldi's greatest work involved. She wrote to him that she'd be at the safe house in a week, and that they should all get together, so that they could talk about how they would take them all down.

Jack had written back to her that he had told everyone what she'd written to him, and that Marshall was already working on some gadget.

She had arranged for a four men team to follow Sloane and watch his movements, and had done the same with McKenas and Peyton. She didn't want to risk any of them following her. She'd get a phone call if there was any sign of trouble.

The week had gone by too fast. She had hated to leave her home, but she was equally exited about seeing Sydney and Nadia again. Isabelle too, and everyone else for that matter. She also knew that she'd be back in Russia spending the last few days there before going back to McKenas' place.

She stood outside the safe house ringing the doorbell, and was nearly knocked over when both Sydney and Nadia opened the door, and flew into her arms, hugging her tightly. She didn't mind though. It felt wonderful to have her children in her arms again.

"I take it you missed me?" They let go of each other and smiled widely.

"Yes, mom." They both said it simultaneously and all three laughed. They walked into the living room together, Irina with one arm around Sydney and the other one around Nadia. Everyone else was waiting for them, and Irina let go of her daughters, and greeted everyone.

"Hi Marshall." He was standing there with a huge smile on his face, and started to wave his hand at her.

"Hi Ms. Derevko." He was obviously excited to see her, and without thinking he gave her a huge hug. Carrie rolled her eyes and shook her head, while Irina couldn't help but laugh a little at Marshall.

"It's good to see you too, Marshall, and I told you last time to call me Irina." She gave him a sincere smile.

"Oh right. Sorry….Irina." She gave him another smiled and moved on. Carrie had stood behind Marshall, and she apologized for Marshall's behavior with her eyes. Irina mouthed out 'don't be'.

"It's good to see you again, Carrie."

"You too, Irina." They took a hold of each others hands and shook them.

"If Marshall gets a hug, then I get one too." Irina looked over at Eric, and gave him a big smile. She walked over to him and they hugged. "Good to see you again."

"You too, Eric." Rachel was next and she got the same treatment as Carrie, and it was the same with Dixon. Then she spotted Vaughn holding Isabelle. "Hello Michael. It's good to see you again, and to see you with Isabelle. Welcome home." She smiled at him and reached out his hand to him. He took it, shook it, and smiled back at her.

"Thank you Irina. It's good to see you." Although everyone knew by now that Irina had gone to Bhutan to deliver the news about Isabelle, and that Vaughn thought better of Irina, everyone was still surprised to see them actually smile sincerely at each other. Isabelle waved her hand at her grandma and cooed. Vaughn turned his attention to his daughter. "Would you like to say hello to your grandma, sweetie? Yeah, I think you'd like that." He gave her a kiss and handed her to Irina.

"Hi sweetheart." She kissed Isabelle on her head and cheek. "I've missed you." Isabelle cooed.

"Clearly she missed you too." Irina looked at Vaughn, who smiled a little more. It meant the world to her, to hear him say that.

Isabelle waved her hands at her grandma, and then turned her head away a little, waved in the direction she was looking and cooed some more. Irina looked in Isabelle's direction and saw Jack standing there smiling a little.

"I see you spotted grandpa. Hello Jack." He smiled a little more, and for the first time in a long time, with more than the two of them present, he spoke with warmth in his voice to her.

"Hi Irina. Good to see you made it here safely." She smiled back at him.

"Thank you. I set at team to watch Sloane, and another team to watch McKenas and Peyton, so I shouldn't be bothered by them."

"Good. The last thing we need now that we're this close to ending this, is for any of them to disturb us." By now Jack was standing next to Irina, and when Isabelle cooed again, he gently stroked her on the head. Both Jack and Irina stood paying attention to Isabelle for a little while, and Sydney and Nadia looked at each other smiling.

After having spent the day talking, catching up, playing with Isabelle, eating dinner, Sydney and Vaughn had just put Isabelle to bed, and it was time to talk more about the mission.

"I can't believe that Rambaldi's greatest work is eternal life. How's that even possible?" Sydney shook her head in disbelief.

"You have to admit, it's quite amazing." Everyone turned to stare at Marshall, and he immediately became really nervous. "Uuummm, of course it's not amazing. It's horrible, downright disgusting. Uummm, but still it's kind of incredible that it's possible. Right?" He had a point, and they all sort of gave a nod.

"Marshall, why don't you tell everyone about the mission?"

"Sure." Marshall stood up, went to his bag, to get a small box. Then he turned his attention back to everyone. "Now we all know the exact coordinates for the tomb, so all of us will be nearby when Irina and the bad guys arrive at the cave. But in order to know exactly when that'll be, you'll wear this." He opened the box, and revealed a sporty watch. "You might say "Marshall, why do I have to wear a watch, I already have one."" He talked in a female voice, and most of them shook their heads and some tried to stifle a laugh. "Yes, Irina you do wear a watch, and may I say, what a lovely watch it is. What is it? Cartier? Rolex?" He waited for Irina to answer, and everyone was again shaking their heads. Except for Irina, who was happy by the light mood.

"No, none of those brands, and it wasn't really expensive."

"Oh well, it's still a beautiful watch."

"Thank you." She gave him a sincere smile, and he stood by smiling and mesmerized for a moment, before realizing that he was in the middle of something.

"Right. So, anyway. This watch is special, because of these buttons." He pointed to the buttons on the watch. "One of them, is the one you usually set the time with. Well in this case you push it when you arrive at the cave. That way we can leave from our hideaway. Then this button, which you usually set the date with, you push when you enter the cave. Once you've reached the tomb, you press it again, so that we'll know how far down you are. It's pretty simple to figure out, but then again you're a smart woman, so I could easily have figured out something more difficult." He gave her a big smile, which she returned while everyone else shook their heads again. "Oh, and in case anyone should ask you about the new watch, just tell them it's more practically. I mean, who goes to a dirty cave, wearing a watch like the one you're wearing now, right?"

"Exactly Marshall." Irina couldn't help but smile at Marshall's logic. He gave her the watch, and she nodded her thanks. Jack took over in explaining the rest of the mission.

"Like Marshall said, we'll be nearby. We'll leave our hideout after you push the button that let's us know that you've arrived at the cave. When you reach the tomb you'll be putting all the Rambaldi artifacts in place first anyway, which allows us time to get there. Once you push the second button for the second time, we'll know that we can take out McKenas' men outside the cave once we've arrived. When we've taken out the men, we'll move into the tomb. After we've taken care of McKenas, Peyton, Sloane, and what other men might be there, either killing them or just overpowering them, we'll rig the cave with explosives, blow up the cave, burying the tomb and all the artifacts. Then that'll be the end of Rambaldi, and he won't be able to hurt any of us again." They all nodded, and Irina looked at Jack.

"That sounds like a good plan. It'll take a long time to get the pieces in place, and I'll make sure that I hold the Sphere of Life, so that it won't be placed on top of Rambaldi's tomb. No need to come close to actually creating eternal life. I certainly don't want any of them to live eternally."

"Mom, do you think you'll be allowed to be the one to place the Sphere?"

"Yes, I don't think that'll be a problem, Sydney. I'll insist on it since I pretty much found out everything on my own. Peyton might not like that idea, since she still doesn't trust me. But Sloane and McKenas do, so I think they'll want me to do the honors."

"So mom, are you leaving directly from here to Mongolia?"

"No Nadia, I need to get back to my house first. I have some things I need to take care of first." They all looked at her curiously. None of them wanted to ask her directly what those things were. Sensing their curiosity, she decided to tell them part of the truth. "I need to go back to get a small gun I can hide and use when necessary."

"So how long will you be staying here?" Sydney and Nadia were both eagerly awaiting her answer, wanting to spend as much time with their mother as possible. Irina saw the look in their eyes. She couldn't stay long and hated to let them down.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow in the late afternoon. It takes a while to get back safely, and unnoticeable, and once there it'll take a while to get to McKenas' place. There's less than a week until I have to meet up with the others, so unfortunately I can't stay longer." Both Sydney and Nadia nodded their understanding. No doubt they were disappointed, but they also knew that Irina couldn't stay long. She turned her attention to Jack. "I'll send you an email when I leave my house. That way you can leave for Mongolia."

"Good." Jack took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "In case anything goes wrong, you can use this number and call me. It's a secure line." She took it from him, and gave him a short sincere smile.

"Thank you. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that nothing happens." Everyone nodded in agreement to that statement.

About an hour later Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel said their goodbyes. They all wished Irina the best of luck and reassured each other that soon Rambaldi would be nothing but a faint memory. Jack, Vaughn, and Eric stayed for another two hours, but then decided to leave, so that Irina could have some time alone with her daughters. Vaughn came back after having checked in on Isabelle.

"She's sleeping. I'll catch a ride home with Weiss, so that you can have the car tomorrow. Bye Syd." He kissed her, and gave her a hug goodbye.

"Bye Vaughn. See you tomorrow." He gave Nadia a hug, and shook Irina's hand, giving her a sincere smile.

"Bye Irina. Good luck."

"Thank you Michael. Bye."

Eric gave Nadia a huge hug, and a big kiss.

"I'll be here tomorrow evening, and I'll miss you every minute until then." He gave her another big kiss, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll miss you too. Bye." She gave him another quick kiss, and the Eric hugged Sydney goodbye, before he went over to Irina.

"Now I know you're Irina Derevko, and that you can handle yourself, and you're probably not afraid of anything, but be careful. Keep your eye on all of them, and good luck."

"I will Eric, and thank you." He gave her a hug, which she happily returned, and he and Vaughn drove home. Jack was standing by the door putting on his jacket.

"Dad, are you sure you have to leave too?" Both Sydney and Nadia looked at him, almost begging him to stay with their eyes.

"I thought I'd give the two of you some time alone with your mother. You don't get to see each other that much, so you should spend all the time you can together." He could see that they were a bit sad about that, so he went on. "I also have some things to take care of regarding the mission to Mongolia. We're getting nearer and everything needs to be finalized." They just nodded yes, but smiled at him too. Sydney stepped forward to hug him first.

"Bye dad." He hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye sweetheart. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Nadia was next and hugged him tight too.

"Bye dad." He gave her the same treatment that he'd given Sydney.

"Bye sweetheart. I might not have time to come tomorrow. Would it be alright if I didn't?"

"Yes, of course dad. Eric will be here. I'll be fine." She smiled at him and he smiled back, before turning his attention to Irina. Sydney thought she and Nadia should let their parents be alone, so she decided to use Isabelle as an excuse.

"I think I'll just go and check on Isabelle. Nadia, you want to come?"

"Absolutely. Bye dad." They walked off quickly, just waving their hands at Jack.

Before they knew of it, Jack and Irina were standing by the door alone. They turned to look at each other, and smiled a little. After just standing there looking at each other for a little while, Jack finally spoke.

"I should get going. It'll be over soon. Just keep holding onto that. If there's anything then give me a call."

"Thank you, Jack." They continued to smile at each other, not really knowing how to say goodbye. "I'll send you that email before I leave for Mongolia." He nodded.

"Take care and stay safe, Irina."

"You too, Jack." They kept their eyes locked for a little while longer, smiling at each other before Jack walked out the door. Sydney and Nadia had been watching their parents without being noticed by them. They'd hoped for a different goodbye, but were happy that they had at least smiled at each other.

Irina, Sydney, and Nadia had spent most of the night talking, but had eventually gone to bed. They'd all slept in the same bed, snuggled together with Irina in the middle. Nadia had asked her mother if it would be alright with her that she used Derevko as her middle name. Irina had been thrilled, and was also happy to hear that she was taking Jack's name too. Both Sydney and Nadia were happy that their mother was happy about that. When Irina left, both Sydney and Nadia were feeling better than the last time Irina had left.

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The day after Irina had left, Jack was sitting in his office when his phone rang.

"Bristow."

"_Hello Jack. It's me. I just wanted to let you know__, it's a go."_

"You're absolutely sure about that?"

"_Yes, Jack."_

"Thank you for letting me know."

"_I'll be in touch."_ With that the phone conversation was over. Jack sat for a moment, before going to Marshall's office.

"Marshall I need your help."

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Later that evening Jack had been to the safe house for dinner with Nadia, Sydney, Isabelle, Vaughn, and Eric. They had all just had their coffee, and were sitting around talking.

"So, how did the rest of the time you spent with you mother go?" Sydney and Nadia both looked at each other for a split second, not really believing what their father had just asked them.

"It went fine. It was great to spend time with mom."

"I asked her if she would mind that I used Derevko as my middle name. She didn't mind, but was very happy. She was happy too that I've chosen to use Bristow for my last name." Nadia wasn't sure if she should've said the last part, but was relieved when her father smiled at her.

"I'm glad." He turned his attention to Sydney. "Did you give her any pictures of Isabelle?"

Sydney was surprised again by her father's question.

"No, I didn't. I didn't really have any on me, and didn't think to take anyone with me before coming here."

"Then you should probably take some with you when we go on the mission. They won't take up much space, and she can take them back with her. I think she'd like that."

Sydney and Nadia looked at each other again. Sydney hadn't thought about giving her mother pictures of Isabelle, but thought it was a good idea now that her father mentioned it. But she was really surprised that he was the one to bring it up.

"Sure dad, I'll do that. Yes, you're right, mom will like that." Jack smiled at her and she smiled back. She and Nadia hoped that this meant that things were going to go better between their parents.

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The next day in the late afternoon Jack met with Marshall in a remote area.

"Marshall, do you have it?"

"Yes, right here." He handed Jack a very small bottle. "I've worked on it since you told me to." He was very proud.

"And you're sure this will work?"

"Yes, of course. I mean, have you forgotten, who you're talking to? I know my stuff, and this will definitely work." Jack wanted to give Marshall his stoic death glare, but realized that he was right. Marshall knew his stuff, and he never failed. He gave him a small smile instead.

"Good. Thank you. I need to get going. We'll talk tonight when we're going over the plans at the safe house." He gave Marshall a nod, which he returned and both of them got in their cars, and left separate ways.

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It was the night before Irina had to be at McKenas' place. She sighed deeply, having just done a lot of explaining again. She was now sitting in the living room, and thinking that she might not make it back here alive, she started crying.

Moments later Sergei walked in. He was by her side immediately.

"Irina what's wrong? Hey now. Talk to me." He raised her head, wanting her to look at him. He tried to dry her tears, but they still came. "I know it's hard, but soon it'll be over. Just remember that."

"What if I don't make it back alive?"

"Don't say that, Irina. Don't you dare say that. You're Irina Derevko. You're strong and smart, and you'll get out of this without a scratch. And I don't want to hear you saying any differently."

"Come on, Sergei. We have to be realistically. I could die."

"Stop saying that." Now he too started to cry. "Please stop saying that." She wasn't able to let it go.

"If anything does happen, I want you to know how much I love you. I love you Sergei, so much. My life wouldn't have been the same without you, and I'm thankful for everyday that you've been in my life. I don't know what I would've done without you. You've been the rock in my life these past years, and I can't ever thank you enough. I'm so glad I found you." She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back just as tight.

"I love you too, Irina. And I'm happy that we've found each other too. But you'll make it back, I know you will." They let go of each other, and shared a smile. He then kissed both her cheeks and her forehead, and she did the same to him. Then they hugged again.

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In LA the day before Irina left for McKenas' place, Jack met with Vaughn in the parking lot at APO. They made sure they were alone. Jack took out the small bottle he'd gotten from Marshall and handed it to Vaughn.

"I trust you know what to do?"

"Yes, I do." Jack gave Vaughn a nod, which he returned. They looked around to see if they were still alone, and then they went their separate ways.

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In the evening Sydney and Vaughn were watching a movie, when Isabelle started to cry.

"I'll get her. You just watch the rest of the movie."

"Are you sure, Syd?"

"Yeah, I've seen it before anyway. I'm going to get ready for bed after I'm done with Isabelle. The movie's over soon anyway."

"Okay. I'll be in right after it's over. Give her a kiss from me." He smiled at her and she gave him a kiss before going to attend to Isabelle.

When she was completely gone, Vaughn waited for a few seconds before getting up from the couch. He went to their bags they were bringing with them on the mission, and took out the pictures, Sydney was bringing with her to give to Irina. He brought them back with him to the coffee table, and placed them all with the front down. From his pocket he took the small bottle he'd gotten from Jack, and sprayed the clear liquid on each picture once. It took no time for the liquid to dry, and once it had the pictures looked no different than they had before. He put the pictures back in the bag, and the liquid back in his pocket. At that time the movie was finished and he turned off the TV, and went to bed.

**TBC**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Jack, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel were all set to leave for Mongolia. They were at Marshall and Carrie's house, saying goodbye to Carrie, Mitchell, and Isabelle, who Carrie would take care off. Sydney and Vaughn were saying goodbye to Isabelle, while Marshall said goodbye to Mitchell. Jack and Carrie were standing off to the side watching them.

"Jack, I know Marshall's a big boy, but he's not really used to being much in the field. Could you do me a favor and keep and extra eye on him? I just really like to get him home in one piece."

"Of course. We'll all keep an extra eye on him. I wish, I could let him stay behind, but we need as big of a team as we can get."

"I understand that perfectly. I just can't help but worry about him, when he's in unfamiliar territory."

"That's understandable." They smiled at each other, and Carrie thanked Jack before she went over to her husband and son.

While taking care of the kids, Carrie would also be sitting by the computer monitoring the mission, in case they needed any help. Everyone at APO, including Chase, had been told that Jack, Sydney, and Vaughn had gone off to investigate a lead into the death of members of Prophet 5, while Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel had gone off to investigate a similar lead somewhere else. No one suspected they were all together, close to ending Rambaldi once and for all.

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The plane ride to Mongolia had been spent going over the details, talking, and sleeping. They'd all needed as much rest as they could get. Now they were at their hideout getting everything ready. Nadia was about to put on her bulletproof vest when she suddenly stopped. Jack saw her and got a little worried. He walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What is it, sweetheart? What's wrong?" She looked up at him, a tear falling from her eye.

"I just realized that mom won't be wearing a bulletproofed vest. What if something happens to her? What if she's hit by a bullet?" Sydney started to get worried too, and tears formed in her eyes as well.

Jack realized that she was right, and he got concerned too, but knew he had to be strong for her and Sydney. He put an arm around Nadia, and held out his other arm for Sydney to accept. Hugging both his crying daughters tightly, he tried to reassure them as much as he could.

"Your mother is strong. She'll be alright, and we'll all be right there with her. We won't let anything happen to her. Believe me, we won't let anything happen to her." He was comforting them, as much as he was comforting himself. _'She has to be alright.' _Just then they heard a beeping sound. Marshall looked up from his tracking device.

"Irina has arrived at the cave." Jack gave him a nod, and kissed Sydney's temple, then Nadia's, and then gave them both one last squeeze before letting go.

"Let's go end this once and for all."

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Having just pressed the button on her watch, Irina knew that soon it would all be over. She had pushed the button discreetly, and no one had noticed. They were all standing outside the cave looking at in. She was faking amazement.

"Well kiddies, it's quite amazing isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Should we enter the tomb?" Irina spoke calmly. She didn't want to sound too eagerly to get in, but showed that she cared.

"In a minute. First there's someone you should meet. Someone, who's been overseeing the proceedings here, and someone who joined our team a while back." Irina got a little concerned. She didn't expect anyone else to be part of their team, and she wouldn't have time to call Jack to let him know. Though, she didn't let her concern be visible, but instead acted curious.

"That sounds intriguing. Who is it?"

"Hello Irina." She turned around to the familiar voice, and when she saw who it was, she put on her familiar Derevko business smile. She should've known he'd be a part of it.

"Hello Julian. It's good to see you again." Sark went over to her and shook her hand, and gave her his business smile in return.

"It's good to see you too. You don't seem surprised to see me."

"No that's because I'm not really. It only seems right that you're here too." She gave him a nod which he returned.

"Okay, now that the two of you have caught up with each other, we can get to the tomb. Ladies first." McKenas held out his arm, motioning for Irina and Peyton to go first. Both of them waited for the other one to move first.

"Why aren't you moving, Irina? If you're as anxious about getting to the tomb as the rest of us, then why aren't you moving?" Peyton eyed her, but Irina wasn't bothered by her.

"Because I wouldn't put it past you to push me down the stairs. You go first." Peyton nodded and went down the stairs first. She indeed had thought about pushing Irina down the stairs, but also didn't think she could get away with it.

Irina followed her and in one swift move pushed the second button unnoticeable. It took a while for them to reach the tomb, and in another swift move, she pushed the button again. As she stood and watched the tomb, she breathed in and smiled. Not because she was standing by Rambaldi's tomb, but because she knew that it would all be over soon, and Rambaldi's greatest work would never come to life. Sloane noticed the look on her face, and walked over to her.

"Yes, it's beautiful, isn't it?" He gave Irina his usual smirk, and she gave him her usual Derevko business smile.

"Yes, it sure is."

"Yes, it's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Now kiddies, why don't we put all the artifacts in place, so that we'll have a shrine for Rambaldi. Then when that's done, we can place the Sphere of Life on top of the tomb, and harvest our reward for all of our hard work."

"That sounds wonderful." Irina started to unpack one of the artifacts, while Peyton eyed her. She wasn't sure if she should trust Irina, but decided to push that thought out of the way, and started to unpack one of the artifacts as well.

After having nearly unpacked all of the artifacts McKenas looked around.

"Who brought the camera?" Everyone looked around at each other and shook their heads. "No one brought the camera. We need to take pictures of this great occasion." He looked around at everyone and then looked at Sark, pointing at him. "You. Go and get the camera."

"Excuse me? No, no. If you want to take pictures, you go and get the camera yourself. I'm not your servant. Mr. Sloane is paying me, not you. And if you don't feel like getting it yourself, then get one of your men to get it."

"You don't want to take that tone with me kid. Get the camera. Now."

"Just get it, Sark. We all want to bring Rambaldi's greatest work to life, so just hurry up and get the camera." Sark looked at Sloane. Deciding not to go against Sloane in case it would cost him money, he went to get the camera.

"Very well then."

Sark went to his car to get the camera. It was parked a bit away from the cave, and hidden well away from anything else. When he had finally gotten to the car, and was about to get the camera out, he all of a sudden heard gunshots. He raced to see what was going on, but made sure to stay hidden away. He saw Jack, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and another woman he'd never seen before taking out McKenas' men one by one. They didn't stand a chance.

"Well, well, well. I see two people who are supposed to be dead. I take it your loyalties aren't to Rambaldi, but to your family, Irina." He kept watching and then hid a little more. "I think, I'll just wait and see how this all plays out. No need to get myself killed."

Jack and everyone else checked the vicinity around the cave to look for more men, but when they couldn't find any, they slowly made their way down to the tomb. When they reached the bottom they could see Irina and everyone else a bit further ahead. They quietly made their way around, spreading out, so that they had blocked the way out from different angles. Other than Irina, Sloane, McKenas, and Peyton they counted eight other men. With Irina on their side, they'd make almost two even teams.

Irina picked up the Sphere of Life, and Peyton went over to her immediately.

"What do you think you're doing with that?" Irina looked at her calmly, not wanting to get angry, so that Peyton would rip the Sphere right out of her hands.

"I thought I might get to do the honors, and put it on top of the tomb. I pretty much single handedly found the tomb, and I have made other great contributions. I only think it's right that I'm the one placing the Sphere." She looked around at Sloane and McKenas, wanting them to say it was okay.

"Yes, I only think that's right." McKenas walked over to Peyton and placed an arm around her. "She did do most of the work. It's only right, she gets to do it. We'll all share the reward anyway."

"Fine" Peyton wasn't happy about it, but didn't think she could convince McKenas or Sloane not to let Irina place the Sphere.

"Go ahead Irina. Place the Sphere and let Rambaldi's greatest work come to life. We'll take pictures later."

Irina was still for a moment. She wasn't sure if Jack and everyone else were there, but she also knew she couldn't stall time, because that would only get Peyton even more suspicious, and probably everyone else. Being glad she was far away from being able to place the Sphere, she took one small step forward, and was relieved when she heard a familiar voice.

"Stop right there." Jack and Sydney stepped out of the shadows raising their guns at everyone. Everyone turned around to see them, and was shocked and angry.

"You two are not invited." McKenas looked at them angrily, and Peyton immediately turned her attention to Irina. She couldn't really see anything on Irina's face that indicated she knew that they were coming, but she figured Irina wasn't on Rambaldi's side after all, like she'd always suspected.

"Jack, Sydney, how foolish of you to come here, and on your own no less." Sloane looked at them angrily, but thought they'd be outnumbered.

"They didn't come alone." Just then Vaughn stepped out of the shadows to one of the sides, with his gun raised.

"Vaughn? You're supposed to be dead."

"He's not the only one." Nadia stepped out of the shadows, her own gun raised, and stood next to Jack. Sloane was shocked.

"Nadia, you're alive." He then turned his attention to Jack, and looked at him angrily. "You told me my daughter was dead, Jack."

"I never told you that." Sloane looked at Jack confused, and Jack went on. "You see, Nadia is not your daughter, she's mine." Sloane's eyes widened. "Back when she needed a close relative's blood because of the DNA, your blood was tested, but it wasn't a match. Mine was tested, and it turns out, I'm her father." Sloane looked from Jack to Nadia back to Jack and then at Irina.

"How's it possible that she's his daughter? He was barely home long enough." McKenas shook his head.

"I really don't give a damn, who's her father. So you've risen from the dead both of you. Bravo." He clapped his hand in mock joy. "You're still outnumbered."

"Not quite." Eric, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel stepped out of the shadows with their guns raised. Together with the rest of their team they formed a half circle.

Sloane looked at them and smirked.

"I can understand why you brought Dixon, Weiss, and Rachel. But Marshall? Couldn't you do better Jack?"

"I've got more spine than you realize." Marshall spoke calmly and collected, and everyone was surprised. Including Sloane. McKenas was getting more and more annoyed with the crowded tomb.

"You're still outnumbered. There are eight of you and twelve of us."

"Make that nine of them, and eleven of you." Irina took a couple of steps back, and drew out her small gun from behind her back. McKenas, Sloane, and the rest of their team stared wide eyed at her. Except for Peyton.

"I knew it. I knew you couldn't be trusted."

"Yes, I never could quite fool you, Kitten." Irina smirked at Peyton, who got even madder when Irina used that name.

"Irina, why are you doing this? It's Rambaldi. It's everything you've ever wanted. It's eternal life. You'll live forever. You can't give that up." Sloane was trying to reach out to her.

"I'll already live forever. I pass on a piece of myself to my children. They pass on a piece of me to their children, and my grandchildren will one day pass on a piece of me to their children, and so on and so on. That's my idea of eternal life." She spat at him, wanting him to be fully aware that she didn't want to have anything to do with Rambaldi.

"Irina, give me the Sphere of Life." Sloane reached out for the Sphere, but Irina took one step further back.

"No. Rambaldi's greatest work will never come to life." She threw the Sphere up into the air, and shot three times at it. It shattered and shattered even more when it hit the ground.

"Noooooo." Sloane shrieked and then looked devastated at the broken Sphere. Peyton was even angrier than before, and McKenas was not too pleased himself.

"Well kiddies it's been fun. But I think it's about time we left." He drew out his gun from behind his back, and started shooting. His team opened fire too, and everyone dove for cover. Bullets were flying everywhere from all sides. A couple of McKenas' men fell to the ground dead, and Vaughn, Dixon, and Rachel moved further ahead while diving for cover. They were under heavy attack and had to stay put for a while.

Peyton moved closer to Irina. She wanted her dead more than anything. Since she hadn't been successful in the past, she'd make sure she killed her this time. She'd moved unnoticeable around and stood only a few feet away from her. Irina was busy shooting that she didn't notice Peyton. When she ran out of bullets, Peyton made her move.

"You've been dogging my bullets long enough, Irina. But this time you can't run." Irina looked straight at Peyton, who had her gun pointed right at her. She didn't have time to reload her gun and thought her time was up.

Just as Peyton fired, Jack came racing from the side knocking Irina and himself out of the line of fire. They rolled around a bit, landing behind some big rocks. When they stopped rolling around, Irina was laying on top of Jack. His hand instinctively went to her face, and he ran his thumb across her cheek as they stared into each others eyes for a while. They snapped back to reality when bullets started flying around them again. Irina got off of Jack, and they took cover behind the rocks. Both Irina and Jack reloaded their guns.

"Are you alright?" He returned fire.

"Yeah, I'm fine Jack. You?"

"Yes, me too."

Irina shot back too, and hit Peyton in the shoulder. She hissed in pain, and she took her gun in her other hand. However that didn't do her much good as Sydney shot her in that hand and her gun fell to the ground. She hissed in pain again. She bent to pick it up, but Rachel shot her in the leg, and she fell backwards.

"Mom. Peyton is all yours. We'll cover you." Irina looked at Jack, who gave her a nod and a small smile.

"I've got your back too." She returned the small smile, and ran towards Peyton.

She looked down on her, raising her gun to Peyton's head.

"It seems I could doge your bullets, but you can't doge mine…..Kitten." She saw the anger in Peyton's eyes, a glimpse of fear, but before she could speak, Irina fired her gun once, and put a bullet in Peyton's forehead. She was dead.

McKenas had followed the events from the corner of his eyes while returning fire, and when he saw Irina killing Peyton, he ran towards her with his gun raised. But he didn't get far. Vaughn, Eric, and Dixon fired their weapons and McKenas went down. Being near to death, he tried his best to speak.

"I guess, I underestimated you, Irina." He had trouble breathing, and with two shots Vaughn put him out of his misery. Like Peyton he laid dead on the ground.

Sloane was the only one still alive, and when most of them were at the other end of the tomb, he tried to head for the stairs.

"Not so fast, Arvin." He turned around and saw Jack holding up his gun. He was nervous, but put on his usual smirk.

"Jack, for old time's sack, why don't you just let me go? We were friends once, Jack. If you let me go, I won't bother you or any of you anymore."

"We stopped being friends a long time ago, Arvin." Jack fired his gun, but it just clicked. There were no more bullets left. He tried reaching for another clip, but Sloane raised his gun, before Jack could do anything.

"You should've taken my offer, Jack. Now it seems you're the one to die." Just as Sloane was about to fire, two other shots were fired. One hit Sloane in the hand, causing him to drop his gun. The other shot hit him in the knee, and he fell to the ground.

He looked in the directions where the shots came from, and saw Nadia approaching with her gun trained on him. Jack looked at her too, and smiled proudly. He put a new clip in his gun, as he walked over and kicked Sloane's gun away from him. Irina, Sydney, Vaughn, and Eric gathered around Sloane, while Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel went around making sure everyone was dead. When they were done, they joined the others. Everyone had their gun trained on Sloane.

Sloane swallowed a few times, getting control of his voice. He was in pain, and he was sweating.

"Just get it over with. Shoot me. You know, you all want to."

"As much as we'd all love to kill you, we're not going to. We're bringing you back with us, where you'll spend the rest of you miserable life in prison. That for you will be worse than death." Jack and Sloane locked eyes. "Get him up to the car, and put some pressure to his wounds. I want him back alive." Eric and Dixon grabbed him. "Start taking the rest of the bodies up too. I don't want them here in case the explosion somehow sets off Rambaldi's greatest work. It's best they all stay dead." Nadia and Rachel carried Peyton upstairs, while Sydney and Vaughn carried McKenas. Irina and Marshall carried one of the men, and Jack carried another.

When they got out of the cave, they put Sloane on the ground by the car, and Eric started to take care of his injuries while the rest of them went to get the other men from the tomb. Once they'd brought up all the bodies from the tomb, they walked over to Eric and Sloane.

"Why don't all of you get the C4 out of the other car? You too, Eric." Eric nodded and went with the others to the other car that was nearby. Jack went down on one knee, and was in front of Sloane. Sloane smirked his usual smirk through his pain.

"So, you're really Nadia's father?"

"Yes, and I'll be happy to shove the paternity papers in your face when we get home."

"Do you know how it happened between me and Irina, Jack? I raped her. I raped her, because she was nothing more than a KGB whore." Sloane smirked, while Jack got angry.

"I don't think there's quite enough pressure to that wound of yours. Allow me to help." He pressed down hard on Sloane's injured knee, which caused Sloane to scream in pain, but Jack quickly put his other hand on his throat. He pressed hard there too. Then he spat at him. "You talk about our friendship. Well, what the hell kind of a friend were you back then, when you raped my wife? You were _never_ really my friend. I feel sorry for Emily that she had to put up with you. You claim to have loved her. You don't even know what love is, because you're not capable of grasping the meaning of the word. You're nothing but a pathetic looser." He tightened his hold on Sloane a little while longer before letting go. Sloane was breathing rapidly, trying to get his breath under control. Everyone came back to Jack and Sloane standing their looking at them, with the C4 in their hands. Jack stood up and looked at them. "Someone should stay here, and keep an eye on him."

"I'll do it. All of you have been more affected by Rambaldi than me. You're the ones, who need to finish this." Everyone looked at Rachel and nodded.

"Good. Keep your gun trained on him. If he makes the slightest movement, don't hesitate to kill him. And stay down until we tell you to get up. We'll blow up the cave immediately after we get out, and we won't be back here, until we've checked it." She nodded at Jack and everyone walked back to the cave and down to the tomb.

Rachel took cover behind the car with her gun trained on Sloane, never taking her eyes off of him. But after a while she heard a sound behind her. She turned around and was met with the back of a gun that knocked her to the ground.

**TBC**


	23. Chapter 23

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you so much. :-) I'm thrilled that you like it and think it's cute. The story is nowhere near its end - there are a total of 45 chapters in this story, so we're only half way through.

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**Chapter 23**

Rachel shook her head a little, but the blow to her head had been hard, and she couldn't really focus. Sark took away her gun that had fallen out of her hand, and raised his own gun at her.

"I'm sorry I had to do that to you. I don't make it a habit of hitting women. Especially not as beautiful a woman as you obviously are. But I need Mr. Sloane alive and safe. You see, he employed me, and I still haven't gotten my money. So, I'll be taking him with me. Sweet dreams." He hit her unconscious and went to put an arm around Sloane to help him stand up. "Come on, time to go."

"No Sark. The cave. Rambaldi."

"It's over old man. Rambaldi is over. They're about to blow up the entire cave, burying Rambaldi's tomb. It's over. Now, you have two choices. You can stay here and let them take you back, where they'll put you in jail. Or, you can let me get you out of here, and get you medical help. So, what will it be? Jail or freedom?" Sloane swallowed a couple of times, fighting through his pain.

"Get me out of here."

"Smart choice." He helped Sloane up and got him to his car, which he had parked close by, when everyone was in the tomb.

When the entire tomb and cave had been rigged with C4 everyone looked at the tomb one last time. Irina shook her head.

"Eternal life. I doubt you'd ever feel alive if you lived forever." With one last look, she walked to her daughters, placing an arm around each of them, and they started walking towards the exit. Everyone else followed them two seconds later.

When they got out of the cave they all took cover nearby. Marshall took out the detonator.

"Who would like to do the honors?" Everyone turned to Irina and she took it.

"I'll be more than happy to blow it up." She got it from Marshall and looked around. "Are you all ready?" When they all nodded, she pushed the button without thinking twice. The explosion was enormous. When the dust had settled, they all walked to the cave to check it. When they could see that there was no possible way into the cave ever again, Sydney called out to Rachel.

"You can get up now, Rachel." When they didn't see her get up or hear her voice, they all looked at each other and got alarmed. Everyone drew their guns and ran to the car, spreading out so that they came around the car from both sides. They were all shocked to see Rachel on the ground and Sloane gone. Sydney, Dixon, and Vaughn went to her side immediately. "Rachel." They checked for a pulse and were relieved to find one. When they sat her up, she started to come to. "Rachel, what happened?"

"Some British….guy…..knocked me…..out."

"You didn't get, Sark?" Irina stared wide eyed at everyone, and they were all surprised to hear his name.

"Sark was involved?" Sydney mentally slapped herself. "I guess we really shouldn't be surprised."

"I didn't know he was involved until I arrived here. I didn't have time to call you, Jack. But as Sydney said, it wasn't really a surprise that he was involved. I just wished they had included me earlier." She walked around furiously and kicked the tire on the car. "Damn it. We had Sloane and he got away. We should've killed him when we had the chance. We had him. Damn it." Everyone else was angry too that Sloane had gotten away, and they all walked around a bit shaking their heads, letting out their frustrations.

Rachel had come to more, and her speech was stronger.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm so sorry, I failed you." She started to cry, and Irina went to her side immediately.

"No Rachel, it's not your fault. You didn't know about Sark. I thought he'd been killed with the rest of the men outside the cave, but I should've made sure and asked about him. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Please don't blame yourself." Rachel nodded slightly through her tears, and Irina hugged her. Everyone was a little surprised by Irina hugging Rachel. They definitely all thought differently about her now than they had done in the past.

Jack squatted down in front of Rachel.

"Irina's right. It's not your fault." He looked at Irina. "And it's not your fault either." He looked between the two of them. "It's unfortunate that he got away, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Once we get back, every country in the world will be looking for him. He can't hide forever. We'll get him eventually." Both Irina and Rachel smiled at him a little, and he smiled back giving them a reassuring smile. Then he stood up and looked around at everyone. "McKenas and Peyton's bodies are coming back with us. We bury all of McKenas' men here. We might as well get started. We'll blow a hole in the ground all the way over there." He pointed in the distance. "Then we'll cover them all up with the dirt. Let's go." Everyone squeezed or touched Irina's and Rachel's shoulder to let them know that they didn't blame them. Jack stayed for a few seconds. "Irina, stay here with Rachel for a while. When she feels strong enough to be on her own, come help us."

"Okay Jack." He too gave both Irina's and Rachel's shoulder a squeeze before joining the others.

After a couple of hours they were finished burying the bodies, and they'd put McKenas' and Peyton's bodies in one of the cars belonging to McKenas, wrapping them in some blankets. It was now early in the evening, and they were looking around at each other not really knowing what to do.

"Um, is anyone hungry?" Everyone turned and looked curiously at Marshall. "I brought some of the stuff they eat in the military. You know the stuff you put boiled water over, and then a couple of minutes later you have a meal? Well, I'd hardly call it a meal, but it's food. So, anyone hungry? Oh, I got water too. And a pot. So we just have to build a fire." They all shook their heads in amazement that Marshall had thought of food given the situation they were in.

"So that was what was in that big box, you put in the car. I thought it was some extra gear or something." Marshall just shook his head at Dixon and smiled. "Well, I could actually eat." They all agreed to that, and starting looking for firewood.

They ate mostly in silence and after they had eaten they stayed silent for a while longer. Sydney was the first to break the silence.

"So, what happens now?" She looked at her father, believing he had the answer.

"We call the CIA to let them know what happened. They'll come and pick us up. Then we have a lot of explaining to do."

"What about mom?" Nadia looked at her father then at her mother. Jack looked at her and Sydney before looking at Irina, and then back at Nadia.

"She leaves before I make the call." He looked back at Irina. "The CIA will have a team here within a few hours after I've made the call. If you leave before I call them, you'll have more time to get away." She nodded, then looked at Sydney and Nadia, before looking at her watch.

"Then maybe I should get ready to leave. It'll be dark for a few more hours, and I can get away unseen. By the time daybreak hits the CIA will have arrived." Jack nodded.

"You can take one of McKenas' cars, if you'd like. You can get further away, and you can just leave it somewhere."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll do that." She stood up and walked over to Rachel. She stood up when Irina approached her. Irina took her hands in her own. "It's really not your fault. Don't blame yourself." Rachel just nodded slightly and Irina gave her a hug. "Take care, Rachel."

"You too Irina." They smiled at each other and Irina moved on to Marshall.

"Bye Marshall. You tell Carrie I said hi, and you take care." He was kind of motioning for a hug, and she gave him one.

"I'll tell her, and you take care too." They smiled at each other. Irina looked at her watch, and started to take it off.

"You better have this back. I don't want to be accused of stealing CIA equipment." Everyone gave a little laugh, and Irina shared another smile with Marshall before moving on to Dixon.

"Goodbye Irina. It was quite a pleasure working with you." Not really being comfortable giving her a hug, he reached out his hand, which she took.

"It was a pleasure working with you too Marcus. Take care." He nodded at her with a 'you too' implied. Then she moved on to Eric, who started out by giving her a hug. She let a small laugh escape. "Take care, Eric. It's been wonderful getting to know you a little." He smiled broadly at her and talked quietly to her.

"The same here. And don't worry. Wherever you are in the world, I'll take Nadia to see you." She could feel a tear forming in her eyes, and she tried her best to hold it back.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." She smiled at him a little while longer, giving him a small kiss on his cheek before moving on to Vaughn. They didn't really know what to say to each other, but just looked at each other for a while smiling. "You take care, Michael."

"I will, and you do the same Irina." She reached out his hand to her, and he took it in both of his, and she placed her other hand on top. They shook for a moment, before she moved on to Sydney and Nadia, who were both crying. When she saw them her own tears started to fall, and she engulfed them in a big hug.

"I wish you didn't have to go, mom."

"Me too, mom."

"I feel the same way, girls. But we'll see each other again. Somehow and soon. I don't want to miss out on seeing Isabelle grow, and we have so much to talk about. Remember that I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too, mom."

"I love you too, mom."

Irina kissed both of them on their cheek several times, and when they let go of each other, she kissed each of them on their cheeks and forehead. Then they shared one last hug, and stated to dry their tears.

"Oh mom, I almost forgot." Sydney went to the car and got out the pictures of Isabelle from her bag. "Here."

"What is it, sweetheart?" She opened the envelope as Sydney answered her.

"Pictures of Isabelle, Nadia, and me. There are some of Vaughn and Eric too, with the three of us. And a couple with dad on them." She flipped through the pictures smiling, and smiled a little more when she saw a picture of Jack sleeping on the bed with Isabelle on his chest sleeping too.

"Thank you so much, sweetheart. They're beautiful." She hugged Sydney goodbye one last time and then hugged Nadia again too. "Bye sweetheart." They each also got another kiss on their cheek. With the pictures in her hand, she walked over to Jack. They stood looking at each other for a while, not really knowing what to do or what to say. She looked at him softly and spoke with the same softness. "Thank you for everything, Jack." They smiled a little more at each other, and Jack spoke with the same softness, she'd spoken with.

"Thank you too." She reached out her hand to him, which he took, and he lightly ran his thumb over her knuckles once.

"I'll be in touch." He nodded at her and they let go of their hands.

Sydney and Nadia joined them, and they gave Irina one last hug before she went into one of the cars and drove away. Everyone watched her drive away and when they couldn't see her any longer, Sydney and Nadia turned in their father's embrace and cried into his shoulders. He hugged them tighter.

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When they returned to APO, Chase was shocked to find out about everything. She was glad that Nadia was alive, but couldn't believe that everyone had lied to her about Sloane. That they'd gone on a mission without informing anyone. She was also curious as to how they came upon the information about Rambaldi's tomb, but no one would say. Not even Dixon, which hurt her.

They had spent the next two days being interrogated about their mission. Director Devlin had been satisfied that Rambaldi wasn't a threat anymore, and that McKenas and Peyton were dead. He had ended the report on the mission, and told them all they did a great job, and could return to work. Chase wasn't happy about that and wanted more answers, but Devlin had stopped her, and told her to let it go.

Every country in the world now had an arrest order out on Sloane. They all believed that one day they'd catch him.

A few days later Rachel knocked on Jack's door to his office.

"Hi. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Come in. What's on your mind?"

"I'm thinking about transferring. Since Peyton and McKenas are no longer a threat or Rambaldi, I've thought about getting out of black-ops. I thought maybe I could transfer to a safer position at Langley or at the office in New York. I have family in New York." Jack was surprised by her request, and thought something else was the reason for her decision.

"You're still blaming yourself for Sloane getting away, aren't you?" She knew she couldn't lie to him.

"Yes. I can't help it, and that feeling won't go away. I know that you all said it wasn't my fault, but I can't help the way I feel. I just think I'd be better off, if I was no longer part of a black-ops division."

"I'll respect the decision you choose, whether it's to transfer or stay here, but please don't let what happened in Mongolia be your only reason for wanting to transfer to a safer position."

"It's not really. I value my life too. When I thought I worked for the real CIA with Peyton and Dean, I wasn't really in any danger. Then suddenly I learn the truth, and I'm in the field being shot at. That wasn't really what I signed on for. I'd also like to be able to tell people what it is I do, if that's possible. I don't like lying to my family." He gave her a small smile.

"Well, those are certainly better reasons. Why don't you talk it over with some of the others? They might be able to give you better guidance. Maybe we can talk some more at Sydney's at the party in a few days."

"Sure. I'll talk to the others too. Thank you, Jack." He nodded and after returning his smile she left.

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A few days later there was a party at Sydney's. It was a welcome back party for Vaughn and Nadia, and also to celebrate that they'd finally gotten rid of Rambaldi once and for all.

The doorbell rang, and Sydney was a bit curious as to who it could be. Everyone who'd been invited was there. When she opened the door she was shocked.

"Will?" He had a huge smile on his face and before she could say anything else he hugged her.

"Hi Syd. It's so good to see you again. I've missed you." She looked at him again, not really believing he was standing right in front of her.

"I've missed you too. What are you doing here? Is it even safe for you to be here?" He was inside by now.

"Your dad seems to think so."

"Dad?"

"Yeah, he got in touch with me, and told me everything that's been going on. Sloane and Sark are still on the loose, but he doesn't seem to think there is any immediate danger hanging over my head. He'll look into it further to find out if I can be Will Tippin again. But he's pretty sure I won't have to live in hiding anymore." Sydney couldn't believe what she heard and was happy that Will, could possibly be Will again. She hugged him again.

"Come on. I have a lot of people I'd like you to meet." They walked into the living room and went straight to Nadia. "Will, this is my sister Nadia. Nadia, this is my best friend Will." They shook hands.

"I've heard nothing but great things about you Will. It's great to finally meet you."

"I've heard a few things about you too, and it's a pleasure to meet you too."

"Hey, hey, hey. Get your hands off her. She's with me." Eric walked over to Will, with a big grin on his face. "It's good to see you again, Will."

"Hi Eric. Good to see you too. And don't worry, I don't move in on another guy's girl." They grinned. Dixon, Marshall, and Carrie walked over to say hi to Will, and in a few moments Vaughn returned with Isabelle after having changed her. "Hi Vaughn." He shook hands with Vaughn.

"Hi Will. Good to see you again." He turned his attention to Isabelle. "This is Will. He's mommy's best friend. You want to say hi?" She waved her little hand in the air at him, and he took it.

"Hi Isabelle. I'm Will. She's beautiful Sydney. You two have a very beautiful daughter."

"Thank you." Jack spotted Will and walked over to him to greet him.

"Glad you could make it, Will." They shook hands.

"Thanks Jack. And thank you for everything."

"Yeah dad, thank you." Sydney kissed his cheek, and they smiled at each other. They all just looked at Isabelle for a moment, before Sydney realized there was someone else, she still needed to introduce Will to. She spotted Rachel talking to some other colleagues. "Rachel, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Rachel came over, and noticed Will. When their eyes met they kept them locked on each other. "Rachel, this is my best friend Will. Will this is Rachel, a new friend and a colleague." They kept staring at each other for a little while longer, but then Will snapped out of it for a brief moment.

"Where are my manners?" He reached out his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Will Pippin. Uh Tippin. My name is Will Tippin. I just saw Lord of the Rings. That must be why I said Pippin." He thought he could use that excuse. But Rachel looked a little confused.

"I'm sorry? I don't think I quite follow."

"One of the hobbits in Lord of the Rings is called Pippin."

"Oh yeah right. Sure. I remember now. I've seen the movies a bunch of times." They looked at each other for a little while longer, still holding hands. "But your name was Tippin, right?" She felt like an idiot for asking.

"Right, right. Tippin not Pippin. The names are almost the same, except they're not." Will was feeling like an idiot too. Their eyes locked again and they smiled shyly at each other. Sydney looked from one to the other, and couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad the two of you are getting along. I'll just go and grab you a drink. Anything in particular you'd like, Will? Will?" When he didn't answer her, she just shook her head amused. "I'll just bring you a beer." She walked off and everyone else thought they'd leave the two of them alone together.

"Jack, can I talk to you for a moment outside?" Jack turned his attention to Carrie, a little puzzled, but curious as to why she wanted to talk to him.

"Of course. Let's go outside." They got outside and away from everyone else. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I was wondering if it's possible for me to join APO?" He looked at her surprised. Not really knowing what she'd wanted to talk to him about, this was definitely the farthest from his mind. "Don't get me wrong. I love staying home with Mitchell, and Marshall and I have talked about having more children. But being part of bringing Rambaldi down, even if it wasn't much, it got my adrenaline pumping. I felt alive in a whole different way, and I realized how much I've missed my job. Being let in on the secrets involving Nadia, Michael, Irina, Sloane, and the mission, was so thrilling. I know that probably sounds absurd. I just miss working, and would love to be back at it. Do you think there's a chance of that happening?" He gave her a sincere smile.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. We'd love to have you. Another clever head is always needed. I'll take care of it, and let you know when you can start."

"Thank you, Jack. That means a lot."

"No problem. Should we join the others?"

"Yes, let's. I came here to party." He laughed a little and they walked back inside.

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A couple of days later at APO Sydney and Nadia had just come from their father's office. They wanted to ask him to lunch, but when they couldn't find him there, they went in search of him. They spotted Marshall on his way back to his office and called out to him.

"Marshall, wait a minute." He stopped and turned at the sound of Sydney's voice. They walked over to him, and Marshall gave them a smile. "Have you seen dad?" Now he got nervous. Even more nervous than he usually got.

"Uuumm, your dad?" They nodded. "Uuummm, he's, uuummm he is in…." He was getting more nervous by the minute.

"Marshall, are you okay? You're acting stranger than usual."

"Yeah, Nadia I'm fine, thank you."

"Well, then where's our father?"

"He's in storage room 7."

"He's where we keep the weapons?" Marshall just nodded nervously. "Marshall what's he doing there?"

"Uuummm, I really think you should ask him. I'm sorry. I should get back to work." He walked off quickly, not able to look at them anymore. Sydney and Nadia both looked at each other confused.

"That was strange."

"I'll say. Well, let's go ask dad, what he's up to." They walked to storage room 7, and found Jack, Vaughn, and Eric there loading rifles and guns. They looked curiously at them, and the guys only looked at them briefly before continuing with what they were doing. "What are you doing? Are you going on a mission or something?" Jack looked at his daughters with his usual stoic expression.

"We're bringing your mother back into US custody." There was no warmth in his voice as he stated the facts. Sydney's and Nadia's jaw hit the ground and their eyes widened.

"You're what? You can't do that, dad. You can't."

"Yes, I can."

"What about everything mom did to help end Rambaldi? Doesn't that matter at all?" He didn't answer Nadia, but went back to checking the weapons.

"How do you even know where she is? Did she tell you in one of her emails, or on the phone?"

"No, I had my way of tracking her down."

"How?" Sydney locked eyes with her father, and when he raised his eyebrows, realization dawned on her. "The pictures. You insisted I bring mom pictures. There was some kind of hidden tracker on those pictures, wasn't there?" He didn't deny it.

"Yes."

"How did you even put it there? You never even saw the pictures. You were never near my bag, before going on the mission to Mongolia, and when we were there, you had no chance of tampering with the pictures. Before that the pictures were back at our place." She turned to look at Vaughn, and when she saw the look in his eyes, she knew he was involved too. "You put the tracker on the pictures." He didn't deny it either.

"Yes." He was almost as stoic as Jack.

Sydney got angry and tears started to form in her eyes as well as in Nadia's.

"Vaughn, how could you? I thought that you and mom were getting closer. You told me, you wouldn't keep Isabelle from seeing her, and now you're involved with bringing her in?"

"I did what needed to be done. It's as simple as that, and I will not apologize for my actions." Sydney couldn't believe what he was saying. She was hurt.

Nadia looked at Eric.

"Please don't tell me, you're involved in this too." When she saw the look in his eyes, she knew that he was. She was angry and hurt like Sydney, and she was crying harder by the minute. "Why would you do that, Eric? I thought at least you liked her. You hugged her. Why would you do that and then go on to bringing her back into US custody?"

"Because it's the only right thing to do." His voice was as cold as his look.

"You're all a bunch of heartless bastards." Sydney spat at them, but she didn't get any different reaction from any of them.

"Think what you will. I really don't care." Jack locked the case with the weapons they were bringing and turned his attention back to his daughters. "Now that you're both here, we can all leave." Their eyes grew even wider, tears falling harder, and they got even angrier.

"What? We will not help in bringing our mother back here. You can't ask us to do that."

"I'm not asking, I'm ordering."

"Dad, please. Regardless of how you feel about her, we love her. You can't do this."

"Oh yes, I can. A car is waiting outside to take us to the airport. Now let's go."

"We won't go."

"If you refuse to go, I'll have you locked up for disobeying a senior agent." They couldn't believe what their father was telling them. Sydney thought they had one last way out.

"Fine we'll go, but we need to go home and change. Will you at least let us do that?"

"No. We're leaving right now."

"What about Isabelle? At least let me go home and say goodbye to my daughter before I go."

"No. I'm not giving you a chance to send an email to your mother, warning her that we're coming." He had realized her plan, but she was furious that he wouldn't let her see Isabelle.

"I'm her mother. She's your granddaughter. How can you deny me seeing her?"

"Because right now you're not a mother, you're an agent. And I'm not her grandfather right now, I'm your boss. Now if there are no more questions, we're leaving right now." She gritted her teeth.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's go." Jack walked out first, and Vaughn and Eric waited for Sydney and Nadia to follow him. Vaughn and Eric received tear filled angry looks, before all four of them followed Jack to the waiting car.

**TBC**


	24. Chapter 24

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you very much for that. I'm glad you thought it was cute, though I don't know if the ending can be called cute. *lol* I'll keep posting. Well, the story is already finished, so I won't be changing anything - you just have to continue to read to find out if there'll be any sweet scenes between Jack and Irina. Thank you very much - kiss to you too.

**SandraSpikefan:** Hi. I'm happy to know that you're still following my story and that you love it - thank you so much. :-) No, I haven't written anymore chapters on the sequel, though a part of the next chapter is written. I would've updated on the sites I post the sequel on if more chapters excited. I know it's been a year or so since I updated the sequel and I'm sorry about that, but I think I needed a break from it and then time just flew by. I can't promise when I'll update it, but I haven't given up on it. I post the sequel on several sites, so when I post a new chapter I'll update on all sites on the same day. The sequel won't be posted here until this one is finished, because all information regarding this one need to be covered to understand the sequel.

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**Chapter 24**

Irina was sitting in her house in the living room reading a book. She had the house to herself for most of the day, and it had been ages since she had been able to curl up on the couch with a good book. She was enjoying herself, but was disturbed by the sound of the doorbell. She wasn't expecting anyone and Sergei had a key. Having salesmen dropping by occasionally, trying to sell her some useless crap, she thought that might be one, and went to open the door. The salesmen had a habit of coming back several times, if she didn't answer the door, so talking to them directly was her only way of getting rid of them.

However, it wasn't a salesman she came face to face with when she opened the door. Jack, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were standing outside her door. She noticed her daughters looking quite sad, while Jack, Vaughn, and Eric looked stoic.

"Hi mom." Nadia's voice was a bit shaky and she had trouble looking her mother in the eyes. Irina was completely taken aback by their presence, but hugged both Sydney and Nadia, when she had recovered from the shock a little.

"Hi sweethearts." She looked at them more closely when they ended the hug, and she was worried. "What's wrong?" When they didn't answer her, Jack spoke. His voice was the same as his expression.

"Can we come in?"

"Uh, of course." She was glad, she was home alone, but she was still worried. "How did you find me? And what are you doing here?"

"We put an invisible liquid tracker on the pictures Sydney gave you, and we're here to take you back into US custody." Irina's eyes grew wide, her jaw dropping to the floor, tears starting to form in her eyes. She was shocked, but also got angry. She looked at Sydney and Nadia.

"Mom, we had nothing to do with it." Both girls started to get teary eyed too. Irina nodded at them, still shocked, but turned angrily back at Jack.

"Rambaldi is over and done with. Why can't the CIA just leave me the hell alone? Why couldn't you just ignore them, Jack?"

"The CIA didn't ask us to put a tracker on those pictures. That was on my initiative." She stared at him, not believing what he'd just said.

"You bastard. How could you? I helped take down Rambaldi. He's no longer a threat, and neither am I. It's been years since I was last a threat. Why? Why Jack? At least have the decency to tell me why." Her tears were falling now, and she wiped them away angrily.

"You can read that in this document." He handed her the document he was carrying in his hand. She looked at it, and then looked back at him coldly.

"Go to hell, Jack." She knocked the document out of his hand with the back of hers, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes at him. Vaughn bent to pick the document up, and held it out to Irina.

"It would serve you best to read this, Ms. Derevko." She turned her death glare onto him, not believing how coldly he was talking to her. She'd thought they were getting closer, but apparently she'd been wrong.

"Fine." She tore it angrily out of his hands and started to read the three paged document.

After having read through it nearly eight times, Sydney finally broke the silence.

"Mom, I think you have read the document enough now."

"I know sweetheart, but I just want to be absolutely certain." She finished reading it for the eighth time and looked up dumbfounded. "I'm getting pardoned?"

"Yes." Both Sydney and Nadia broke into a huge grin, and threw their arms around their mother. When they broke the hug, she was still dumbfounded, but when she saw the big smiles her daughters were giving her, she smiled too, and tears of joy fell from her eyes as they hugged again. Eric had a huge smile plastered over his face too, and both Jack and Vaughn had a smile on their faces. They broke the hug, and they all three dried their tears. Sydney and Nadia and cried tears of joy too.

"You just have to agree to the terms of your pardoning agreement."

"Oh that won't be a problem. Believe me that won't be a problem." They all laughed a little as they dried the remainder of their tears. "I can't believe you tricked me like that."

"You're not the only one who got tricked." Sydney looked at Vaughn. "It would probably be a good idea to bring in Isabelle." He nodded, opened the door and picked up the car-seat Isabelle was sleeping in.

"You brought Isabelle?" Irina was surprised and happy at the same time.

"Yes. We'll tell you how they tricked us, but can we go into the living room or somewhere, instead of standing out here in the hall?"

"Oh sure. We can go in here." Not wanting them to see her actual living room just yet, she took them into another living area right next to the hall. They all took in the surroundings. It was very lovely, and Sydney could see her mother's touch in the decorating from her childhood home, but there were no pictures. Not even one of the ones she got of Isabelle. She thought it was a bit strange, but knew they had to be somewhere else in the house. They all took a seat on the couches and armchairs. "So tell me how they tricked the two of you."

"They told us we were going to take you back into US custody, and that Sydney and I were under orders from dad to go with them. And if we didn't go, dad would have us locked up."

"We didn't want to go. I thought, we could get home and send you an email, so that you could run. But dad wouldn't let us go home. I even said, I wanted to say goodbye to Isabelle before we left, but dad knew our intentions, and said I wasn't allowed to see her." Irina stared wide eyed at Sydney and Nadia, before looking at Jack the same way. She couldn't believe how far he'd gone to trick them. He simple smiled a little shyly at her.

"Well, when we then got on the plane, Carrie was there dropping off Isabelle, and these three started laughing at us. You can imagine how confused we were. When Carrie left, they finally told us everything. Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel all knew about the pardoning agreement. Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel were told that if they saw us at APO, they should play along, and help trick us. You can't believe how relieved we were, when we found out the truth."

"They asked us to play along, so that they could trick you too. Sorry mom. But as much fun as they'd had tricking us, we thought we'd join in the fun, and help them trick you." Sydney and Nadia were grinning and Irina couldn't help but laugh too.

"You sure tricked me alright." She looked between Jack, Vaughn, and Eric. "I can't believe you tricked them like that."

"It was a cruel joke, but it was so funny." Eric couldn't help but burst out laughing, and everyone laughed a little more too.

Suddenly the front door opened and the sound of a small set of feet could be heard in the hall. Irina immediately panicked and stood up.

"Mommy, we're home. Where are you?" A little girl, who was a little over three years old, spotted Irina. There were no doors separating the living area from the hall. She started running towards Irina smiling, and Irina walked faster towards her. She went down on one knee, so that she covered her daughter's view. "There you are." She threw herself in her mother's arms.

"Maddie, what are you doing home so soon?" Seconds later two sets of small feet were heard in the hall. Maddie turned her head and called out.

"We're in here." Another little girl and a boy, both the same age as Maddie ran towards Irina too, and threw themselves into her embrace.

"Hi mommy."

"Hi mommy." Then the front door was closed and Sergei's voice could be heard from the hall.

"Sorry we're home already Irina, but the zoo was closed due to reconstruction. We decided to come home and spend the day….." He had been running a hand over his face that he hadn't seen Irina wasn't alone, and stopped talking when he saw, who she was with."With you." He finished his sentence as he looked into the faces of Sydney, Nadia, Eric, Vaughn, and Jack. They had all been staring wide eyed at each other, when they heard the little girl call Irina, mommy, and their eyes grew even wider when her siblings entered the room too, and more now that a man was standing in front of them. They all stood up by now.

Sergei met Irina's eyes, and could see that she was panicking.

"Sergei, why don't we take the triplets up to their playroom?"

"Uh, yeah, good idea. Come on, kids."

He went over to give Irina a hand with the triplets, which wasn't easy. They all wiggled in Irina's arms, and while Irina and Sergei tried to hold onto the other girl and the boy, Maddie was able to stretch so much that she could see over her mother's shoulder. She first spotted Sydney, and immediately began to smile. Her eyes then fell upon Nadia, then Eric, then Vaughn, and lastly Jack. When she locked eyes with him her smile grew even bigger, and while Irina and Sergei almost had control of her siblings, she was able to wiggle herself free and ran towards Jack.

"Daddy, daddy."

She was excited to see him, and hugged his legs tightly when she reached him. Jack on the other hand stiffened, and it looked like his eyes were about to fall out of his head. When Maddie had run towards Jack, both Irina and Sergei reached out and tried to grab her. In doing this, Maddie's sister and brother were able to wiggle themselves away from Irina, and now they too ran towards Jack before Irina or Sergei could catch them.

"Daddy, daddy."

"Daddy, you're here." They too hugged his legs tightly and Jack stared down at them dumbfounded. Then he looked around at the others, who were just as dumbfounded as him. He looked over at Irina, who was now standing. She gave him an apologetic smile and nodded. He didn't know what to think. He looked down at the three small children hugging his legs, then back up at Sydney and Nadia, and then once more at Irina. When he felt one of the small heads look up at him, he looked down and saw his son smiling up at him. "Hi daddy."

For Jack it was like looking at his own reflection when he had been that age. There was no mistaken that this was his son. He wasn't quite sure what to do, but felt a certain ease. He smiled back and although his voice was a bit shaky from the shock he attempted to speak.

"Uh, hi." His two youngest daughters looked up at him too now, and smiled broadly at him. Maddie looked mostly like Irina, he could tell, but his other daughter was a mix of both of them. He could see a lot of himself in her. He smiled at them too, and then stroked each of them over their heads with his hands. Then he went down on one knee to get a closer look at them. He felt a little more confident to speak now, and his voice was stronger too. He wasn't quite sure how to ask them, not knowing if Irina had told them that he knew about them. He thought he'd just ask them. He turned to Maddie first. "Now, I believe I heard your mother call you Maddie. Is that correct?" She nodded.

"Mmhmm. It's short for Madeleine." Jack looked at her incredulously.

"Madeleine? You're name's really Madeleine?" She nodded again, and Jack looked up at Irina. She smiled at him warmly and nodded. "Madeleine." He let it sink in and smiled even more.

"Do you like my name?"

"I love your name." Jack gave her a bigger smile, took her in his arms, hugging her, and then kissed her cheek. Then he moved onto his other daughter. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."

"It's okay, daddy." There was no trace of sadness in her eyes or voice, only pure joy. "My name is Caitie. It's short for Caitlin." Just like with Maddie, he looked at Caitie incredulously.

"Caitlin?" He looked up at Irina. "Caitlin?" She gave him the same warm smile, she'd given him before and nodded. He turned his attention back to his daughter and smiled at her. "I love that name too." Then he gave her the same treatment he'd given Maddie. Moving on to his son, he had a feeling of what his name was, but thought it'd be best to ask. "And your name?"

"Ethan. It's not short for anything." Everyone laughed at his comment. Jack had been right about the name. He looked up at Irina and smiled.

"Ethan." Then he looked back at his son. "I love that name too, as much as I love the names of your sisters." He looked up at Sydney and Nadia. "All your sisters." They smiled at their father, but they were still surprised that they all of a sudden had three siblings. Jack looked back at his son and gave him the same treatment he'd given his youngest daughters.

"In case you were wondering, our middle name is Derevko after mommy, and our last name is Bristow after you of course." Everyone gave another little laugh at Caitie's comment.

"Good to know." Jack took all three children into his arms and hugged them tightly. Maddie turned around and smiled at her mother and at Sergei.

"Look, uncle Sergei, it's daddy." Sergei gave her a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that." He looked at Jack and gave him a small smile, which Jack returned. "Don't you think it would be polite too, to say hello to your older sisters?" All three nodded and ran from Jack over to Sydney and Nadia. They both knelt down when their siblings came running to them, opening their arms, and hugged them. In the meantime Sergei looked at Irina confused, and she gave him the three paged document regarding the pardoning agreement, which he started to read.

"Hi Sydney."

"Hi Nadia."

"It's good to meet you." Both Sydney and Nadia were surprised.

"You know our names?"

"Of course. Mommy told us."

"We know Michael and Eric too." Ethan pointed to them.

"Isabelle too." Maddie pointed to her, who was still asleep in the car-seat. The triplets went over to Vaughn and Eric, and hugged them as well, which they welcomed. After having finished reading the document, Sergei looked at Irina and smiled. He was thrilled for her. Then he looked around at everyone.

"Well, it seems like you haven't gotten anything to drink yet." Then he looked over at the triplets. "What do you three say to helping me in the kitchen?"

"Yeah." All three nodded and followed Sergei into the kitchen. Everyone else stood back not really knowing what to say. They all looked a bit around at each other. Irina looked at Jack, who looked in the direction the triplets had gone. After several moments of no one talking, the silence got to Eric, and he felt he needed to say something to get people talking.

"I didn't know you had a brother, Irina."

"What?" She hadn't been concentrating on anyone other than Jack, so she was taken by surprise when Eric talked to her. He pointed in the direction Sergei left. "Sergei. Oh, he's not my brother. He's my cousin." She took another glimpse at Jack, who was still looking the same way as earlier, before she moved on. "When I was six and a half months pregnant, we ran into each other. I was on my own and could really use someone by my side. Due to our age difference, we haven't spent much time together growing up, and we haven't spent much time as grown-ups either. He doesn't approve of his family being involved in criminal activities." Pretty much everyone stared at her, and she let out a small laugh. "Yeah, imagine that. A Derevko, who's not a criminal. They're a rare breed, but they do exist. Anyway, I was desperate to have someone by my side. So, after I told him large parts of what had been going on in my life, he decided he couldn't turn his back on me. I was family after all. Since then we've gotten closer and closer with each passing day, and if it hadn't been for him, I don't know what I would've done. He was looking for a new place to live at that time, and he moved in with me. That worked perfectly and he helped take care and raise the triplets. When I was taken by Elena, he took care of them, and did a wonderful job. He's been my rock, and I love him dearly. Because of everything we've been through, he became more of a brother to me than a cousin, which is why the triplets call him uncle." Sydney and Nadia smiled at their mother, glad that she hadn't been alone with the triplets. There was more silence. No one really knew what to say, so Eric thought he'd keep the conversation going.

"So what does Sergei do?"

"He's a freelance photographer. He takes pictures for various magazines and books. He started in his late teens and became very successful. So now he can easily afford to work whenever he wants. Which worked out great for me, when the triplets were born, and especially when I was taken by Elena."

"So, how has it worked out for him being in that line of work, being successful, which I take to mean that he's somewhat famous, when his last name is Derevko, and that name is mostly associated with crime?"

"He goes under the name Sergei Ioujakov. Ioujakov is his mother's maiden name." Eric nodded, and Vaughn gave a slight nod too. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, thinking they should say something about the triplets to their mother, but they didn't get the chance. Sergei came back.

"It's a beautiful day, so I thought we could enjoy the beverages and snacks outside. The triplets are waiting for us." Irina looked at Jack again, and this time he looked at her too. When he gave her a warm smile she returned it, and was relieved. She turned around to look at Sergei.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Then she turned her attention back to Jack. "Shall we join them?" She was glad that Jack was still smiling at her, and that he spoke softly.

"Yes, let's."

Everyone followed Irina and Sergei. As they walked, Sydney and Nadia noticed pictures on the walls of the triplets, themselves, Isabelle, and Sergei. When they walked into the actual living room, they saw a lot of pictures, and this living room was much more homey, than the one they'd just left. They walked from the living room outside, to a beautiful garden, where the triplets were waiting for them. They were still smiling from ear to ear, excited to finally meet their father and sisters.

"We saved you a seat, daddy." Maddie pointed to the empty seat between her and Ethan, Jack walked over there and sat down between them.

"That's very sweet of you. Thank you." He stroked both Maddie and Ethan over the head, and reached over and did the same with Caitie, who were sitting next to Maddie. "What would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice, please."

"Me too, please."

"Me three, please." Jack laughed a little at their comments.

"Three glasses of orange juice coming right up." Everyone else was still standing taking in the sight of Jack with the triplets. Irina smiled at how comfortable Jack was with them. She thought it would've been harder, but she guessed she'd thought wrong. Ethan looked at Irina after taking a sip of his juice.

"Come sit next to me, mommy." Irina smiled broadly at her son, sat down on the chair beside him, and gave him a kiss on the head. Jack turned his attention to Irina, and spoke gently.

"What would you like to drink?" He gave her a warm smile, which she returned.

"Lemonade, thanks." He poured her a glass of lemonade and turned his attention to everyone else, who was still standing up.

"Aren't you going to join us?" They all smiled at him, and sat down.

Sergei eyed Jack a little when he was sitting at the table. He didn't think that it would've been this easy for Jack to adjust to the situation of finding out he had triplets. But he thought now that he might just be wrong about that. Sydney and Nadia smiled and looked amazed at their siblings. They were also happy at how at ease their father was. They all sat around, quietly enjoying their beverages and snacks. The triplets were giggling a little from time to time, which made everyone smile even more. After a while Caitie broke the silence.

"Daddy, would you like to come up and see our room? We have a bedroom that we share, and we also have a playroom."

"I would love to, sweetheart." Irina closed her eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the endearment Jack had used for his daughter.

"Okay, let's go, daddy." She got out of her chair, and went straight over to him and put her hand in his. She looked over at the others across from Jack. "You can all come if you'd like."

"Caitie, maybe you should let your father finish his orange juice first."

"No, it's okay Irina. I'd love to see their rooms, and the rest of the house. If you're giving a tour?" She enjoyed the warm smile, she was getting from Jack.

"Of course. I'd love to show you all around." They all got up and headed upstairs.

They started out in the triplets' bedroom. They explained eagerly about everything in their room, and they did the same with their playroom. After they'd spent quite a long time in both rooms, Irina took over and showed them the rest of the house. There wasn't much more to see upstairs. She said that her bedroom, Sergei's bedroom, four guest bedrooms, and two bathrooms were upstairs, so they went downstairs. Here she showed them the kitchen, the library, her office, and pointed to where the two downstairs bathrooms were. After touring the house, they toured the garden.

Hours had gone by, and it was time to make dinner. The triplets were running back towards the house, with the rest following.

"The pardoning agreement said I had two weeks here to get packed, sort out what I might need to sort out, and that the five of you would be staying in Russia during all that time." They all nodded. "Good. You're all staying here, but I guess you sort of had to anyway, since I'm in your custody."

"Yeah, mom." Nadia and Irina shared a small laugh, and Sydney joined in.

"It's a good thing you've got the room." Eric flashed her, a grin, and she laughed a little at his comment.

"It sure is." She turned her attention to Sergei. "Why don't you help bring in their luggage and give them each a bedroom? The girls and I will start on dinner." He nodded and Jack, Vaughn, and Eric followed him out to the cars, while Irina, Sydney, and Nadia went to the kitchen. Irina put out some coloring books for the triplets to play with, and Sydney put Isabelle down in her car-seat. "Good thing we planned on having a roast for dinner tonight. There'll be plenty of food." She took out a big roast from the fridge. "But I guess, we could've gone to the store, if we hadn't had enough." Both Sydney and Nadia looked at the big roast surprised.

"Why on earth were you having such a huge roast for dinner? The triplets can't possibly eat that much." Irina laughed at Sydney's comment.

"No, they don't. But Sergei is going out of town tomorrow. He's been hired by a magazine to take pictures of the King of Thailand's 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne. He was asked a while back, but only recently said yes, because we ended Rambaldi, and I could stay here with the triplets. He'll be gone for a week. That's also why he and the triplets weren't here when you came. He wanted to spend most of the day with them alone. We just thought we'd have a nice dinner, and we could use the leftovers in several ways."

"He really loves them, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does. So much. They have a strong relationship that naturally only got stronger, when he took care of them, while Elena had me." Nadia looked at Sydney, and she knew what her sister was thinking. She gave Nadia a nod, and she leaned a little closer to her mother, not wanting the triplets to hear her, even though they were at the other end of the large kitchen.

"Uh, mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart." Irina looked at Nadia and leaned a little closer, sensing that she was going to tell her something that was for her ears only.

"Why didn't you tell dad about the triplets?" Irina had been wondering when she'd be asked that question. But she hadn't really had a chance to be asked sooner than now. She sighed deeply.

"I wanted to, but it never seemed the right time. I wanted to tell it to his face, but when he contacted me after his got out of solitary confinement from associating with me, I didn't want to risk him going back there. I figured his movements might be watched, so it would be too dangerous for all of us, if he came to visit me, or if I came to visit him. The triplets were not that old at the time, so I couldn't leave them. I wanted to wait a couple of months, when I thought the coast would be clear, but then I was taken by Elena. When I got back from Sovogda, I was selfish and wanted to spend time with them. I hardly knew them myself at that time. Then there was the whole involvement with Rambaldi, and on some of the occasions we were together, things didn't exactly go too well between the two of us, as I'm sure you remember." They both nodded, remembering all too well. "I just couldn't bring myself to tell him, when he was so angry with me. When we started to get along, I didn't think it was the right time. I wanted him to know first, and not hear it with everyone else there. When I got back from Mongolia, I had every intention of telling him. I was just building up the courage. Figuring it wasn't going to be easy, I started to write down what I was going to say to him. I had planned on telling him soon, either coming to him, or asking him to come see me, if he could get the time off from work. But he beat me to it. I'm just glad he's taking it so well." She smiled at them, and they smiled back, understanding their mother's reason for not telling their father about the triplets.

They were still preparing the dinner, when the guys came back. Vaughn went over to check on Isabelle, and Jack went over to the triplets to see what they were doing. Eric and Sergei went to help with dinner, and Sergei walked over to Irina, who was preparing the potatoes.

"I put Jack in the guestroom closest to the triplets, Sydney, Vaughn, and Isabelle in the one next to that, and Nadia and Eric in the one across from theirs."

"Thank you."

"So, it seems that Jack's taken the news of the triplets really well."

"Yeah, it does, and it's a relief." They smiled at each other.

"I'm glad." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and went to help Nadia with the vegetables. He looked over at Jack and the triplets, and smiled as the triplets eagerly explained to their father what they were drawing in the coloring books. He was glad that they finally had their father in their lives.

Dinner had gone well. They triplets had done a lot of the talking, and Sydney and Nadia had told them about their lives to some degree. They had also asked Sergei about his job and his trip, which he was more than happy to tell them about. They were all sitting in the living room now, and after having put Isabelle to bed a while ago, Irina knew it was time to put the triplets to bed too.

"Okay you three, it's bedtime. You've been allowed to stay up longer than usual, but now it's getting late." They got up and walked over to their mother, not the least bit bothered that it was bedtime.

"Mommy, can daddy tuck us in tonight?" She smiled at them and looked over at Jack.

"Sure he can, if he wants to." The smile on Jack's face, couldn't be denied.

"Yes, I'd love to." She smiled back at him, then they hugged and kissed their mother goodnight, and proceeded to do the same to everyone else. After a while everyone was surprised to hear Ethan's voice.

"_Daddy, will you read us a story?__"_ They all looked around, thinking it sounded like a baby monitor, and Irina realized that she had last left it on the shelf. She went to get it and Sydney looked at her a little curiously.

"You still use a baby monitor?"

"Yes. Because of the size of the house, I use it, so that I can hear them better if they need anything." They all nodded their understanding. That made sense to them. Jack's voice came on as he started reading them a story. "I guess, I should turn it off for now, and let them have their privacy."

"No, leave it on." Everyone turned to look at Nadia a little puzzled. She smiled shyly. "I know, I'm a little old, but I've never had one of my parents read me a bedtime story before. I just thought it'd be nice to listen in on one. I know it's probably silly." Irina gave her a warm smile, and everyone else smiled at her too, no one thinking it was silly. Sydney was happy that Nadia had asked.

"It's not silly at all. I'll leave it on." She brought it with her, and placed it on the coffee table, turning up the volume. They all enjoyed hearing Jack reading to the triplets, and when Caitie asked him to read another, and he did, Irina let out a small laugh. Everyone looked at her curiously, except for Sergei, who knew why she laughed. She looked at them. "They've got him wrapped around their little fingers already. They only get one story a night. I'll bet when this story is over, Maddie will be asking him to read a story." They all laughed a little, and sure enough, Maddie asked a little later her father, if he'd read them another story, which he did. They all looked at each other and laughed. When Jack finished the third story, everyone heard Caitie's voice on the monitor again.

"_Daddy, will you sing us a song?"_

They all looked around at each other, and grinning a little.

"That's probably going to be a no, because dad can't si…." Sydney stopped talking and everyone, except Irina, looked closely on the monitor, when they heard Jack's soft voice, singing in perfect key. They looked at each other surprised and then looked over at Irina, who was smiling fondly.

"Oh yes Sydney, your father can sing. Boy, can he sing." She leaned further back in her chair, closing her eyes, and enjoyed listening to Jack sing. This was something she'd missed greatly. Everyone did the same, and enjoyed listening to Jack sing two more songs.

About forty minutes after he'd finished the last song, they heard him enter the living room, closing the door behind him. They had still their eyes closed, and everyone expected to see a soft look on Jack's face. However, what they saw when they opened their eyes was something completely different. Jack's expression was cold, and his eyes murderous. Irina got scared immediately. Apparently Jack didn't take the news as well as everyone thought.

"Jack, please let me explain." She got out of her chair.

"Explain? How can you possibly explain that you never told me I had three more children?" His voice was filled with rage, but he wasn't screaming. Yet.

"It was never the right time."

"It's never the right time with you, is it? When were you planning on telling me, or were you never planning to do that?"

"I was going to tell you soon. That's why I said I'd be in touch, when I left Mongolia."

"You've had plenty of time to get in touch with me, since we got home from Mongolia." She was about to say something, but he went on. "What if we hadn't known you were alive? What if your sister had killed you? Would I then never have known about them?"

"No, you would've known about them. I told Sergei that if anything ever happened to me, he should bring them to you when they turned five."

"Five?" Now he was yelling. "You would've kept them from me, until they were five? How dare you. Didn't you think I had a right to know before then?" His rage scared her.

"I'm sorry, but I thought it was best to wait until they were a little older. That way they would be in school during the day, when you were at work. It wouldn't be easy being alone raising triplets, if they were younger. I thought that would be best."

"Spare me your concern. You obviously don't give a damn about me. I could've gotten help raising them. Someone could've taken care of them during the day, while I was at work. I missed out on the beginning of their lives, because of you. And you thought it was best? They obviously knew about me, and were thrilled to see me. So, how could it possibly be a good thing, to keep them from their own father?"

"Dad, please stop."

"Stay out of this, Sydney. Everyone, just stay out of this." Tears started to fall from Irina's eyes.

"Jack, that is not true. I do care."

"Like hell you do."

"Just please listen to me. Would you just please calm down and listen?"

"No. Nothing you could possibly say, could justify me not knowing about them sooner. I'm getting out of here. I can't stand to be near you right now."

He turned away and headed for the front door. Irina sat back down in her chair, putting her head in her hands, and crying her eyes out. Sydney and Nadia went to comfort their mother, while Sergei went after Jack. He ran after him, when he got outside.

"Jack. Jack, wait. Just wait." He was calling out to him, and Jack stopped and turned around.

"What?" He was still filled with rage, and he wasn't interested in talking to anyone.

"You can't walk out on her, without giving her a chance to explain."

"She can't explain her way out of this one." Now Sergei was getting angry.

"You have no idea what she's been through, throughout her life. I don't even know all of it. But the things I know are horrible. She wanted to tell you about the triplets to your face, and not in an email, or in a chat room."

"Oh how sweet of her." He was being very sarcastic. "She doesn't give a damn about my feelings."

"That is not true. Don't you dare believe that." Sergei was yelling at him. He was furious at Jack. "Don't you dare doubt her, Jack. Don't you even dare. I told her several times that she should tell you about the triplets. Even if that meant, you finding out about them in an email or in a chat room conversation. They deserved to know about their father, and you deserved to know about them. But she said, she couldn't do that to you. She said telling you about them, needed to be done to your face. When they were born, you were in solitary confinement. When you got out, she suspected the CIA might be keeping an eye on you, and she was afraid you would be arrested again, if she got in contact with you. Then she was taken by Elena. After Guatemala her focus was to stop Rambaldi. After Sovogda she wanted to tell you, but since Rambaldi wasn't over with that became her focus. She wanted her children to be safe. Some of your meetings, while working together, weren't all that pleasant, and she didn't want to tell you, when you were angry. Nor did she want to tell you when the rest of your team was there. She was going to tell you soon, but was afraid of your reaction, and needed to find the courage. She does care, Jack. You need to hear her out, and don't you dare doubt her feelings. You're an idiot if you do."

"While I appreciate everything you've done for my children, I don't need you to tell me what I need to do. Irina should've told me sooner about the triplets, and that's that." He turned around and walked away.

"Jack. Jack. Don't walk away. Don't you dare walk away now." Jack kept walking, and left Sergei standing there.

Jack walked for a while and then got a cab. He went to town looking for the nearest bar. He needed a drink. He needed lots of them. Getting drunk would drown the hurt. But when he found a bar and put his hand on the doorknob, he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't do that to the triplets. He left, and started to walk around the area, and after about an hour later, he decided to walk back to the house. However, on the way back he came upon a place that he knew would bring him comfort. And for the next three hours he stayed there.

**TBC**


	25. Chapter 25

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you so much for saying that *blush* - you're much too kind. :-) I'm glad that you love and think it's sweet that Jack and Irina have five children.

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**Chapter 25**

After Jack left, Sydney and Nadia did their best in comforting their mother, trying to reassure her that their father just needed to cool off, before he'd listen. When Sergei came back he explained what had happened with Jack, and that he'd just left. After spending the next two hours waiting for him to come back they all decided to go to bed, being exhausted from the day's events.

The next morning Irina woke up. She hadn't bothered with setting the alarm clock, because the triplets usually came into her room when they woke up, waking her. They always woke up early, and then slept with her for a few more hours. Exhausted, she looked over at her alarm clock through almost closed eyes, and was surprised to see that it was just after 9.00 a.m. She hadn't heard them come in. She turned back on her back with her eyes closed.

"You were sure quiet when you came in here this morning." When the triplets didn't respond, she touched the space next to her with her arm. Empty. She opened her eyes fully and looked at the space in the bed next to her. When she couldn't see them either, she looked around in her room. Nothing. She got out of bed, and put on a robe. She wanted to see where they were, but also thought it'd be best to get up anyway. She went to their bedroom, but they weren't there either. She went to feel one of the beds. It was cold. Next she checked their playroom. Also empty. Now she was getting a little worried. She went to Sergei's room and woke him up. "Sergei, have you seen the triplets?"

He was still tired, and only opened his eyes a little.

"No, I haven't. You just woke me, and they haven't been in here. If they had, believe me I'd know. Why?"

"Well, they didn't come into my bedroom, and they're not in their bedroom or the playroom. I'll just go look downstairs." Sergei just made a sound, and went back to sleep. "It's after 9.00. You should probably get up." All she got from him was another sound. She laughed a little.

She went downstairs and checked all the rooms. When she didn't find them in any of them, she started to panic. She opened the doors to the garden, but couldn't spot them anywhere. She couldn't spot them from the front door either, when she opened that one. She ran upstairs, and went to Jack's room. She thought they might've gone into his room. After having knocked a little without getting a respond, she opened the door, but there was no sign of Jack. The bed hadn't even been slept in. Now she panicked even more. She went to Sydney and Vaughn's room without knocking, and when she couldn't find them there, she went across the hall into Nadia and Eric's room. Nothing. She woke up Nadia.

"Sweetheart, have you seen your father or the triplets?" Both Nadia and Eric woke up, still sleepy.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I can't find them anywhere." She left their room, and went back across the hall to ask Sydney the same thing.

Nadia and Eric looked at each other, both a little puzzled. By the sound of Irina's voice, they thought it'd be best to get up. After having put their robes on they met Sydney and Vaughn in the hall, and saw that their mother was coming out of Sergei's room, heading downstairs quickly. They all stared at each other, and when Sergei came out of his room just as confused as they were, they all headed downstairs. They found Irina down in the hall, having just come from the direction of the kitchen.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Your father is gone, and so are the triplets. He hasn't slept in his bed, and it's been a while since the triplets slept in theirs. I've looked everywhere in the house, and they're not here. I can't see them outside either."

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

"Are you sure about that, Nadia? Your father was furious when he left here last night. Who's to say he didn't come back here last night, taking the triplets with him? He could've taken them away from your mother to punish her." Sergei was a little angry, and worried about the triplets. Both Sydney and Nadia got mad at him.

"No, he would never do that, and don't you even think that. He might've thought _once_ that mom was capable of putting a hit out on me, but he realized he was wrong, and he hasn't doubted her love for me or Nadia since. He wouldn't use us against her to hurt her. You might not like our father much at the moment, but don't you dare question his love for his children."

"He also knows how much we love mom, and yesterday he saw how much the triplets love her. He wouldn't take her children away from her." Sergei received angry looks from both of them.

"Well, how else do you explain them not being here?"

"I don't know, but why don't we all just look for them again? We'll search the house one more time, and take a thorough look outside."

"Nadia and I will look outside. Sergei you can help. The rest of you can look in here again." Nadia and Eric went to look outside, and Sydney and Vaughn started to look around inside. Sergei gave Irina a quick hug before heading outside to look and Irina started to look around inside again. After a while they all met up the living area near the front door. "Well, we looked and there's no sign of them outside."

"We can't find them in here either."

"Then he's obviously taken them."

"No, he hasn't. All his luggage is still here, and mom said that nothing was missing from their bedroom or their playroom. There's got to be an explanation." Just then the front door opened and the triplets came running inside. Irina went out to them immediately, hugging them tightly.

"Where have you been?" The triplets smiled broadly at her.

"We went to the playground with daddy."

"It was great, mommy. We were there really early, and had the entire playground to ourselves."

"And now we're going to help daddy make breakfast for everyone. Right, daddy." Irina looked up at Jack, who was carrying a big bag, stuffed with groceries. He was looking down on the triplets smiling.

"Right. And helping also means you each carry something to the kitchen." He took out a bag of bacon from his bag. "This is for you." Caitie took it and headed for the kitchen. "And this is for you." Maddie got to carry a bag with mushrooms, and headed to the kitchen. "And you get to carry this." He gave his son a bag of tomatoes, and then he headed for the kitchen. Jack stood back smiling in the direction the triplets went, and after a few seconds, he went over to Nadia and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning, sweetheart." He did the same with Sydney, and then he too headed for the kitchen. Irina snapped out of her shock, and got angry.

"Jack, don't you ever pull a stunt like that again. Do you hear me? Not ever." She was ready for a fight, almost wanting one. But Jack just turned around slowly and spoke to her calmly.

"They're my children too, Irina. When I left here last night, I had every intention of going to town to get drunk, but when I got there I decided against it. Instead I walked around for a while, and on my way back here I found a playground. I spent a few hours there, before returning here. When I got back, I checked in on the triplets. I ended up staying there watching them sleep until they woke up in the morning. It was really early, so I asked if they wanted to go to the playground, which they did. We had planned on being back before any of you got up, and have breakfast ready, but we had so much fun that we lost track of time. I didn't have my phone with me, so we just decided to hurry up and get home as fast as we could. I'm sorry I made you all worry, but I will not apologize for spending time with my children." With that, he turned and walked to the kitchen. Everyone just looked in his direction, a little shocked. Except for Sydney, who was smiling.

"You used to do that with me." They all looked at Sydney, and she looked at her mother. "I haven't really thought about it before, but hearing it just now brought back the memories. It mostly happened when dad had returned home from his trips. I would sometimes be sleeping with you, on the night he returned. We would then sometimes get up really early the next morning and go to the playground. We'd have the entire place to ourselves, and I would have both of you to myself. I remember feeling like the luckiest kid in the world. When we got home, we'd make breakfast together, and we'd usually have a family day. It also happened sometimes, when you came home from a trip, and also on regular weekends." Irina smiled back at Sydney, remembering now those times too. Those had been special to her too, as they'd been to Sydney. She nodded at Sydney, and went over to hug her. Sydney then turned her attention to Nadia. "You want to help dad and our siblings with breakfast?" Nadia smiled, nodded and together with Sydney she went to the kitchen.

"I'll go and get Isabelle." Vaughn left, and Eric said he'd join the others in the kitchen. Irina and Sergei stood looking at each other for a moment. Irina shook her head.

"I really shouldn't have thought he'd taken them. I know better. He knows how much I love my children, and he would never hurt me by taking them away from me. I'm such an idiot. But for a brief moment I actually thought he'd done it." She put her face in her hands and shook her head again, letting go of her shock. Sergei walked over to her.

"He also thought you were capable of putting a hit out on Sydney. He should've known better too back then." Irina nodded a little. "At least you know now that both of you love your children more than anything, and that you know the other one wouldn't hurt them, or use them to hurt each other." Irina looked at him and gave him a small smile. "And I know now that Jack wouldn't hurt you by taking the children away from you. Maybe I jumped the gun a little by thinking he had taken them. I mean, he's CIA. He couldn't really get away with taking his own children and running, now that he'd gotten you a pardoning agreement. I just got scared." Irina stroked his cheek gently.

"You've been with them their whole lives. It's only natural that you love them so much, and got scared." He smiled at her.

"If you want, I don't have to go to Thailand. I can cancel, if you want me to stay here, and help you deal with Jack."

"No. Thank you, but no. You haven't been working since the triplets were born, and you've been looking forward to this, since you agreed to do it. It's sweet that you want to help with Jack and be here for me. But since I didn't tell Jack sooner about the triplets, I need to take the heat for it on my own. But I also have the girls. They'll look out for me, and be understanding about their father at the same time." He nodded and gave her a hug. "We should probably go to the kitchen, and check on breakfast.

Breakfast was well on the way when they got to the kitchen. The stove was big, so they were able to fry mushrooms and tomatoes, make pancakes using three pans, and make eggs at the same time. Irina enjoyed watching Jack with all five of their children, but he didn't make eye contact with her. She knew he was still angry with her, no matter how calm he'd been before walking to the kitchen.

When they sat down to eat breakfast, Jack and Irina ended up sitting across from each other, but he did everything he could to avoid looking her in the eyes. She looked over at him every chance she got, and he could feel her penetrating gaze. He had decided not to give her the time of day.

Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric looked around at each other. They could sense the tension between Jack and Irina. After too much silence, with only the triplets making a few comments Sydney finally spoke.

"So? What's on the agenda for today?" Irina took her eyes off of Jack, and turned her attention to Sydney.

"Not much really. Sergei is leaving 1.30 p.m. and before you arrived, I'd just imagined spending the day at home. But now that you're here, is there anything you'd like to do, after Sergei leaves?" They all looked around at each other. Except for Jack, who kept busy with eating his breakfast. Nadia shrugged.

"Not really. I guess we could go and see the city." Everyone nodded. "Would that be alright with you, dad?" Jack looked up at Nadia and gave her a small smile.

"Sure." He wasn't going to let his anger towards Irina get in the way of being nice to his children. He also knew that with the triplets around, he had to be polite towards Irina. Probably even smile a little.

"Okay then. Since everyone's onboard we can leave for the city when Sergei leaves." Everyone nodded at Irina, except for Jack, who once again returned to concentrate on his food.

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They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in the garden playing with the triplets. Sergei spent most of the time with them, while Jack sat back and enjoyed watching his children. He wasn't going to interfere with Sergei's time with the triplets, since he'd be out of town for a week, and since he was supposed to have spent yesterday alone with them and Irina. He could see how much they loved Sergei, and how much he loved them.

Sydney and Vaughn had gone inside to change Isabelle, Eric went to the bathroom, and Nadia walked around in the garden looking at the flowers, and also enjoying seeing her youngest siblings having fun. Irina walked outside and sat near Jack. He wasn't all that thrilled about it, she could tell.

"So, you're just not going to give me the time of day?" He didn't answer her, and Irina couldn't help but feel sad. "Jack, would you at least answer a simple question?" He still didn't answer her, so she decided just to talk to him, even if he didn't answer or look at her. "I am so sorry that I never told you about the triplets before. But I wanted to tell it to your face. I didn't think tha….." Jack stood up and walked to the triplets. He had no intention of listening to her. She wanted to call out to him, but knew that the triplets would hear her. She didn't want them to get in the middle of her situation with Jack. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, wondering if she'd ever get him to listen to her.

Nadia had seen the scene between her parents. She felt sad. If only her father would listen, but he was being too stubborn. She could understand how he felt, and also given their history. But still. If only he'd listen then maybe they could at least get along if nothing else. Eric walked over to her and could sense that she wasn't quite alright. He hugged from behind, and kissed her cheek.

"What's wrong?" She leaned into his embrace.

"Mom and dad. Well, mostly dad. He won't listen to her. I know he's every right to be upset, but he won't even speak to her. It's just so sad and frustrating to watch."

"He'll come around. I'm sure of it. He wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get her a pardoning agreement, if he didn't care about her. Whether he cares about her more than just her being the mother of his children, I don't know. But he does care. He just needs time to cool off."

"I hope you're right." Eric gave her another kiss on the cheek, and then the triplets were running towards them.

"Uncle Sergei has to leave now, so are you two ready to leave too?"

"Yes, we are." Nadia smiled at her siblings, and Maddie and Ethan took her by the hand and walked with her to the house. Caitie took Eric by the hand and also walked to the house. Jack and Sergei stood back watching them, and then Jack started to walk to the house. Sergei watched as Jack walked right passed Irina without so much as looking at her. He shook his head frustrated at Jack.

Jack, Vaughn, and Eric loaded up Sergei's luggage into his car with the triplets watching, while Sydney and Nadia said goodbye to him.

"It's been great finally to meet you, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with you when I get back. And I apologize for this morning. I know now that your father wouldn't hurt your mother by taking her children away from her." He smiled sincerely at them. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other and knew that they couldn't really stay mad at him anymore. They returned his sincere smile.

"Apology accepted. We look forward to getting to know you better too." Nadia stepped forward and gave him a hug, and Sydney did the same after her.

"Bye, uncle Sergei. Have a great trip." He rolled his eyes at her.

"When you say it, it makes me feel so old." They all shared a laugh, and he moved on saying goodbye to Vaughn and Eric, who had joined them. He had one more bag that he brought down to the car himself. Jack was just finishing putting the last suitcase in, and the triplets had followed Vaughn and Eric a little while after they'd left the car. Jack reached out his hand to Sergei.

"Have a good trip." Sergei looked at him curiously. "Just because we argued last night, doesn't mean I can't be polite today. I have nothing against you, and I meant what I said last night. I really do appreciate you taking care of my children. Very much. You have a strong bond with them, and I'll never stand in the way of that." Jack gave him a sincere smile, and Sergei took his hand.

"I meant what I said last night too, Jack. Don't doubt Irina's feelings, and talk to her." Jack didn't display any emotion by Sergei's comment, and walked towards the house, while the triplets and Irina went to Sergei. He hugged the triplets and kissed them goodbye, telling them how much he'd miss them. He took Irina aside a little. "If you want me to stay, just say the word."

"Thank you, but no." He gave her a nod, and then they hugged goodbye. Sergei drove off, while everyone waved goodbye. The triplets ran up to the others, who'd been standing by the front door ready to leave, and Irina followed them.

"Daddy, you're riding in the car with us and mommy right?" Jack looked at his son. He didn't really want to ride in the same car with Irina, knowing he'd probably have to talk to her, and even more now that the triplets would be the only ones in the car with them. But he'd also expected it, and knew he wouldn't have to talk much to her about things he wasn't in the mood to discuss, with them there. He smiled at his son.

"Yes, I am." He looked around at everyone else. "Should we go?" Everyone nodded and they all headed to the cars.

On the way to the city, Jack talked with the triplets. Irina would make comments about the surroundings and he simply nodded. When they arrived at the parking lot, Jack couldn't get out of the car fast enough. He helped the triplets out with Irina and they were joined by the others.

Most of them had a lovely day. Jack still didn't pay any attention to Irina, only when he really had to. The triplets enjoyed their time out with their family, and Sydney and Nadia decided to enjoy the day too and not let their parents' situation bother them, even though it was hard. When they headed home they stopped at the grocery store to pick up things for dinner, and the car ride home for Jack and Irina was the same as before.

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When they were all preparing dinner Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric did the best they could to keep a conversation going, talking about every day stuff, and about the city. Jack joined in the conversation from time to time, helping with dinner, while also coloring with the triplets. The situation was the same throughout dinner, and the same after. Jack still didn't make eye contact with Irina. He tucked the triplets in again, and when they were asleep he joined the others downstairs in the living room. He didn't really participate in the conversation much, so after a while everyone didn't say anything. But after it had been quiet for a while Nadia decided to ask her mother something that she'd wanted to know since yesterday.

"Mom, are the triplets named after anyone?" Irina looked at Jack to see his reaction. She noticed he stiffened a little, and then she looked at Nadia. Both Sydney and Nadia had looked at their parents, and knew there must be something to their names. "Well, it's just that yesterday when they told dad their names, it looked like they sounded familiar to him." Irina looked at Jack again, but he just stared down into the coffee table. When he didn't say anything, Irina thought she might as well answer.

"Yes, they are, sweetheart. Your fath…" Jack stood up interrupting Irina from going on.

"I'm going to bed."

"What? Dad, you can't. Mom is just about to tell us how they got their names. Regardless of how upset you are, would you just please stay and listen to how they got their names? They're your children." Nadia couldn't believe how her father acted and neither could Sydney, who would've said something to him, if Nadia hadn't.

"I know, where they got their names from." He walked over and kissed both Sydney and Nadia goodnight, and said goodnight to Vaughn and Eric. He didn't bother saying goodnight to Irina, and just left the room. Sydney and Nadia shook their heads in disbelief, and they almost didn't want to say goodnight to their father. He was being too stubborn. Sydney turned her attention to her mother.

"I am so sorry about that. I can't believe he did that. I can to some degree understand that he's still angry, but he could at least talk to you. Or stay to hear about his own children, even if he knows." She shook her head again. Irina was hurt that Jack had left. She wanted to tell him how happy she was to give them those names. She thought at least that could be an icebreaker for them, but he had just left. She gave Sydney a nod and smiled at her. "So, tell us about their names." Irina smiled warmly.

"Maddie is named after Jack's mother, Caitie is named after his aunt, his mother's sister, and Ethan is named after his maternal grandfather." Sydney and Nadia's smiles grew wider, but they still couldn't believe that their father hadn't stayed to hear this. Irina continued. "You don't know this, but your grandfather was never home much. He often went to a bar to hang out with friends after a long day at work, and when your father was almost four years old, his father walked out on him and his mother." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, and Vaughn and Eric looked at them too. Irina was a little curious of their looks. "You know about that?"

"Yes, sort of. Not that dad's father walked out on him, but that the only memories he has of him, is of him leaving." Irina couldn't believe what Sydney was telling her.

"Did your father tell you that? I mean, he's the only one who could tell you, but it doesn't really sound like something he would talk about?"

"Yes, he did tell us, but he wasn't really aware that he told us." Irina looked at them curiously. "We'll tell you about it later." Irina nodded.

"Okay. Well anyway, after his father left, his mother had a hard time making ends meet and raising a child alone, so her sister and father moved in with her. They all helped out with everything, and your father had a strong bond with all three of them. His grandfather became his father figure, teaching him a lot about life, and they loved each other so much. Unfortunately, he passed away when your father was only twelve. The loss of his grandfather made his relationship with his mother and aunt even stronger, even though it was as strong as it could possibly get. He loved them so much and they meant the world to him. If you had been a boy Sydney, we were going to name you Ethan." Sydney couldn't help but smile at that. "If we had any other daughters, we wanted to name them Madeleine and Caitlin. I thought I'd never have more girls or even children, because of the KGB, so I just played along with that idea. But I'm sure glad I did have more." Both Sydney and Nadia got a little teary eyed, and Vaughn and Eric smiled warmly at Irina.

"Did I ever meet our grandmother or dad's aunt? I don't remember."

"Yes, you did. Your grandmother passed away two months before we moved to LA, and your father's aunt passed away three months after we moved to LA. It was a hard time for your father, first losing his mother, then moving on top of that, and then losing his aunt. We visited them as often as we could when they were alive, and they came and visited us as often as they could. But unfortunately it wasn't quite as often as I wish it would've been. Both your grandmother and your father's aunt weren't feeling too well the last year of their lives, so they couldn't really visit that much, and your father was busy with his work. I wanted to honor the people, who had meant the world to your father, by naming the triplets after them. His mother and aunt meant a lot to me too, and since we'd already talked about giving those names to future children, it only seemed right to give those names to the triplets." Sydney and Nadia wiped their tears away. It had been quite emotional for them.

"So, if you had already thought about naming your second daughter Madeleine or Caitlin, why wasn't I given any of those names? Or didn't you have a chance to name me?" Nadia looked apologetically at her mother, not knowing if she'd offended her or said something she wasn't supposed to say. She was relieved when her mother smiled back at her.

"No, I named you. I gave you a name before they took you from me and I'm glad it wasn't changed. You're named after my mother." Nadia smiled broadly. "Not really knowing who your father was, I thought it'd be best to give you another name, and you looked like my mother when she was a baby." Sydney smiled too, and she and Nadia shared a look. They still wanted to know why their mother had thought Sloane was Nadia's father, but also knew that now was not the time to talk about it.

"So, I guess I'm the only child, who's not named after anyone in the family?"

"No, you actually got your name for two reasons. One of them being from a family member." Sydney looked at her mother curiously. "You're named after your aunt."

"You have another sister?"

"No, you're named after your father's sister."

"Dad doesn't have a sister."

"He did once." Everyone's eyes grew a bit wide. "I guess, I shouldn't really be the one to tell you this, but I will anyway. Your father had a sister, who died when she was nearly two years old. It was during the winter, and your father grew up near a lake. He'd gone down there with his sister and the neighbor, who told your grandmother, she'd watch them while she went to the store. When they were at the lake, a friend of the neighbor came down there, and she started talking to her friend, not paying any attention to your father or his sister. Your aunt walked out on the frozen lake, and your father tried to talk her out of it, but she ran too fast. He was about to go after her when the ice gave away under her. He ran back to the neighbor, who'd gone further away, and it took awhile for them to get back. When they did, they couldn't see your aunt anymore. The neighbor's friend had run home to call for help, but they arrived too late. She was too little to fight, and it didn't take her long to die. Your grandfather blamed your grandmother and your father for what happened. Their marriage was not the best at that time, but his daughter was his favorite child, so when she died, he just lost it, and walked out on his family two months later. When you were born, Sydney, we asked your grandmother if it'd be alright that we named you Sydney after her daughter, because both her and your father had loved her so much, and been devastated when she died. She was happy about that, and I think that only made her love you even more." Sydney and Nadia had cried even more after hearing that story. After a few minutes of silence, and after they'd dried their tears Sydney looked at her mother.

"You said there were two reasons for my name. What's the other?" Irina smiled at her, grinning a little.

"You were conceived in Sydney, Australia." Both Sydney's and Nadia's eyes grew wide and their jaws dropped. Eric burst out laughing, and Vaughn started out snickering a little before he too started laughing harder. "Your father and I thought it'd be a good way of honoring your aunt and the place you were conceived." Sydney closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Mom, I did not need to know about that." She turned her attention to Vaughn and Eric who were still laughing. "Would you two stop? It's not funny."

"Yes Syd, it is." They laughed a while longer, and Irina joined in a little seeing the looks on her daughters' faces. Nadia wasn't thrilled about hearing that either, even if it wasn't about her.

Outside the living room, Jack leaned against the wall. He hadn't gone to bed. He knew that she'd named the triplets after his mother, aunt, and grandfather, but he just couldn't bear to be there seeing her telling him in person. He couldn't believe that she'd been so unselfish, naming the triplets after members of his family, instead of giving them Russian names or some other names that was her choice. When she was Laura, she'd always cared so much about his mother and aunt, and wished that she could've met his grandfather. When he learned of her betrayal, he thought everything about her had been a lie, and it hurt him a great deal that she had only pretended to love his mother and aunt, when they had loved her so much. He felt she had used them. But knowing now that she'd named the triplets those names, he knew that she had really loved his family. He stood against the wall for a few more minutes, letting the tears fall freely from his eyes, before going to his bedroom unnoticed.

**TBC**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

After the laughter had settled in the living room, Irina asked how their father had sort of told them, about his own father leaving. Everyone looked around at each other, not really knowing if they should tell her. But since she'd told them things, she wasn't really sure if she should tell, they decided to tell her.

Irina was shocked to learn how Jack had saved Sydney, letting himself be exposed to radiation, and how in his delusion he'd thought Sydney was her as Laura, so that he could reveal where Liddel was. They didn't tell her, what their father had said about her as Laura, about her being the perfect wife and mother. Irina let the shock settle in, and was happy that both Sydney and he were alright.

When she went to bed, she put her face in her pillow and cried her eyes out. She wasn't surprised that he'd risk his own life to save Sydney's, but she couldn't believe how close she came to losing him. As if she didn't regret not telling him about the triplets sooner, she regretted it even more now. Jack had almost missed out on meeting his youngest children. She realized that she'd probably already lost him herself. To her it didn't seem like he would have anything to do with her ever again. She couldn't really blame him, but they'd had some pleasant times together connecting, during the year they spent looking for Sydney's killers. At that time she'd hoped that that could be a starting point for them, to deal with the past together, heal together, and move forward together. She'd been scared when she found out she was pregnant, but was also happy that she had another child with Jack, even at their age. She was looking forward to telling him, hoping he'd be as happy as she, but she never got the chance to tell him. He never showed up the next time they'd arranged to meet. As she continued to cry, she sought comfort in the years they'd been married when she was Laura. If they couldn't be together now, she'd at least have those memories of them together.

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Irina was, as usual, woken by the triplets early in the morning. They all snuggled together, but she could also feel the triplets looking at each other, and finally Ethan spoke.

"Mommy, is it wrong that we're here with you and not with daddy?"

It broke her heart to hear him say that. He sounded a little sad. She'd told them everything they wanted to know about their father, when she got back from Sovogda, and Sergei had told them about both her and Jack, when she was taken by Elena. She'd tried her best to explain that there were some things she'd done in her life that were bad, and that a lot of people couldn't forgive her for that. She'd told them that she and Jack didn't have the normal relationship with each other that mommies and daddies do, but that they were nice to each other, and although he'd never met them, she knew that he loved them very much and would be happy when he found out about them. She had also told them that she needed to take care of some things for it to be safe for them to meet their father. Once it was, they'd all meet each other. They had not completely understood everything, but trusted their mother's judgment. However, they'd been a bit sad that they might never be able to live with both their mother and father.

"No, it's not wrong. But if you want, you can all go and snuggle with daddy." Maddie snuggled a little closer to her mother.

"But we don't want to leave you alone, mommy." She kissed her daughter's forehead.

"It's okay. I'm a big girl. You've all snuggled with me before, but not with daddy." The triplets looked at each other, not really knowing what to do. "You could also split up, so that one or two of you could go snuggle with daddy today, and then you could trade tomorrow." They looked at each other again and nodded. Ethan gave his mother a kiss, and then started to crawl out of bed.

"I'll go snuggle with daddy, and then you can snuggle with mommy." They exchanged smiles and he was off. He opened the door quietly to his father's room. Jack was still sleeping, but woke up when his son crawled under the covers. He opened his eyes at the movements confused, but smiled when he saw his son. "Morning, daddy. Can I snuggle with you? Maddie and Caitie are snuggling with mommy, and tomorrow we'll trade." Jack gave his son a kiss.

"I'd love that." His son smiled from ear to ear and snuggled close to Jack, which he welcomed. They got out of bed at around 8.30, and walked to Ethan's bedroom so he could get changed. Irina was there with Maddie and Caitie, and he stopped when he saw her. She stopped her movements too, and looked at him. He only looked at her for a brief second before going over to his daughters. He bent and gave Caitie a hug and a kiss. "Good morning sweetheart." He received a kiss too and a good morning. He did the same with Maddie, and she did the same to him that Caitie had done.

"Good morning, Jack." He didn't really want to be nice to her, look at her, or say good morning to her, but he knew he had to, with the triplets in the room. All three were looking at him. He turned to look at Irina shortly, but with a neutral expression on his face. It irritated him that he smiled sweetly at him.

"Morning." With that he turned his attention back to his son, and helped him with what to wear. Irina felt hurt on the inside, but she tried her best to hide it on the outside. She went on helping her daughters get ready. They finished before Jack and Ethan and she turned her attention to Jack again.

"Do you want us to wait for you, or should we just go downstairs?" He would rather he didn't have to answer her, but turned half around, without really looking at her.

"No, you go. We'll be down in a minute." He turned his back to her and she nodded.

"Okay. See you downstairs in a minute." When he didn't say anything else she walked out with the girls.

Jack took his time with his son, hoping that by the time they got downstairs everyone else would be there too. When he couldn't stall any longer, they went to the kitchen. But before he left, he noticed a picture of himself, Sydney, Nadia, and Isabelle on the dresser. He knew it had to be one of the ones Sydney had given Irina in Mongolia. He was happy that she'd put it in there for his children to look at. A little smile tugged on his lips. Ethan looked up at him.

"Mommy put it in here." He looked down at his son, who smiled up at him. He couldn't help but smile back at him.

"That was nice of her." Ethan's smile grew wider and Jack took him by the hand. "Come on. Let's go get breakfast."

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When they reached the kitchen, Irina had finished setting the table, putting out bread, cereal, and fruit. None of the others were there, and he felt uncomfortable being there only with Irina and the triplets. Irina smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, but he didn't look at her. Irina brought the remainder of the beverages to the table, and sat down with the children.

"Maybe someone should go and wake up the others." He started to head for the door, but was stopped by Maddie.

"They're big boys and girls, daddy. They can come down on their own." He looked at Maddie, who pleaded him with her eyes to stay. He smiled and nodded at her before sitting down. They stayed silent for a long time, just eating their breakfast. Jack was glad about the silence, since the others still hadn't joined them yet. The triplets looked around at each other, and finally Maddie spoke. "Can we go to the aquarium today, just the five of us?" Both Jack and Irina stopped eating and she looked over at him. But like yesterday he concentrated on his food. She didn't want to force him to spend time alone with her, if he really didn't want to.

"Don't you also want your sisters to come too, and Michael, Eric, and Isabelle?" The triplets looked down in their plates sad, which didn't go unnoticed by either Jack or Irina. Ethan looked up at his mother and answered her with sadness in his voice.

"Yes, mommy. We would just really like to spend the day with you and daddy." He looked down in his plate again, and continued eating his breakfast. It broke Jack's heart to seem them like this. He'd do anything for his children, and if that meant spending the day with just them and Irina, so be it.

"We can go to the aquarium, just the five of us, if you really want to." Everyone looked at Jack, and Irina was surprised. The triplets smiled at him, and so did Irina. He smiled back at the triplets, but still didn't look at her.

They continued eating a little while longer, before the others joined them in the kitchen. Everyone exchanged good mornings. After a while Caitie looked over at Sydney and Nadia.

"Guess what?" She was smiling from ear to ear.

"What?"

"Maddie, Ethan, mommy, daddy, and I are going to the aquarium. It's just going to be the five of us. Is that okay with you?" Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric all looked around at everyone surprised. They all had a feeling Jack was only going, because he wouldn't let the triplets down. Nadia gave her sister a smile.

"Of course it's alright. The five of us will find something to do, while you're gone. Have a great time." The triplets were grinning from ear to ear.

"If you've finished, then we can leave." Irina didn't have to tell the triplets that twice. They got out of their chairs fast, and walked quickly out of the kitchen. Irina stood up and took their plates to the sink. Sydney looked at her father.

"So the five of you are really going to the aquarium alone?"

"Yes. The triplets really wanted to go, and I'm not going disappoint them, even if it means that I have to be civil to your mother." He saw the look his eldest daughters were giving him. "Don't look at me like that. I have every right to be angry with her. You can't all just expect everything to be okay." Sydney and Nadia nodded at him.

"No, you're right, dad." They both looked at him and smiled. "Have a good day." He gave them a small smile and a nod. The guys told him the same and they too received a nod.

Irina was cleaning the plates, when he walked over with his plate and his coffee mug. She didn't know if he'd listen, but she thought she'd talk to him anyway.

"You really didn't have to agree to go, if you didn't want to spend time with me. I understand you're only doing it, so you won't disappoint the triplets. But I think it would've been alright if all of us had gone." He didn't look at her as he sat down his plate and mug.

"You're right. I didn't want to disappoint them." With that he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Irina at the sink sighing deeply.

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Jack kept up the conversation in the car, by talking with the triplets about the animals they were going to see. Irina joined in from time to time, but didn't want to make Jack uncomfortable more than he already was with her presence.

Jack had enjoyed himself at the aquarium, and he was glad that Irina hadn't bothered him more than she had to. The triplets had also enjoyed themselves, and he was happy about that. They didn't seem to be bothered that their parents weren't talking to each other, or at least they didn't let on. They seemed happy just to be out with them on their own.

They had had lunch earlier and now sat down for coffee and juice. They were sitting near a play area for children, and the triplets looked over at it.

"Can we go play for a little while? Please?" Maddie was pleading a little, not sure if it was a good idea to leave her parents alone. Irina looked over at Jack, and he could feel her eyes on him. He couldn't tell them no, and knew that he really didn't need to talk to Irina anyway.

"Sure go ahead. We'll be leaving soon, so we'll come and get you when we leave." The triplets smiled from ear to ear and ran off to the play area. Irina was happy that he'd agree to let them play, but also knew that Jack would more than likely not talk with her.

After sitting quietly by for about twenty minutes watching the triplets play, Irina thought she'd try talking to Jack. There were no one sitting closely by them, but she leaned in a little closer anyway.

"Jack, regarding the pardoning agreement. It says that I have to check in with you every day for the next five years, so that the CIA knows about my whereabouts. I can see how I'll be able to do that, since I'll be working at APO with you. But what about the times I'm not at work? How will we work that out?" She was looking at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He knew that he probably couldn't avoid answering that question, since it did have something to do with her pardoning agreement. He answered her, but kept his eyes on his children.

"I'll be able to see you when you drop off the triplets at my place, or I pick them up at yours. It depends on what we work out, depending on who gets to have them when. But that's the solution I can come up with, on how you'll be able to daily check in with me." Irina tore her gaze from him. What she'd feared all along was now very clear to her. They definitely didn't have a future together. She nodded.

"Yeah that seems like a good plan." She looked at her watch. "We should probably get back. I'll throw out the plastic cups and juice boxes. You go and get the kids." He nodded and they both stood up.

When he was halfway to the play area he turned around. She was standing by the garbage can. Above it was a large aquarium. He could see her reflection, and wasn't sure if he'd just seen right. Did she just wipe away a tear? It looked like she was gathering herself, and he turned around, taking long strides to get closer to the play area faster. He didn't have time to think much more about her reaction, before the triplets came running towards him smiling. He smiled back.

"Time to go." Irina met up with them, and she smiled at the triplets.

"Did you have fun?" All three nodded and smiled broadly. "Good. Then let's go." She couldn't really get out of there fast enough and couldn't really look Jack in the eyes. She needed to get back to the house, where she'd be able to get a little privacy. She was too shook up by Jack's words, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. It would be a long ride home.

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Back at the house no one knew what to expect when the others arrived home. They had spent the day in town, taking in a few sights and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. Sydney and Nadia hadn't really been too bothered with their parents, but naturally they had still worried. They were sitting in the living room when they heard the front door open. The triplets came into the living room smiling, and Sydney and Nadia felt more at ease. At least their siblings were smiling. All that mattered was that they'd had a good day. Jack followed them seconds later.

"Where's mom?" Nadia looked curiously at her father, when she couldn't see her mother behind him.

"I think she said something about changing her shirt." Jack just shrugged, and Nadia nodded, while the triplets started to tell them eagerly about their day.

Up in her bedroom Irina threw herself on the bed. She needed to be alone for just a couple of minutes. Jack's words broke her heart. It definitely was over between them. She looked over at the picture she had on her nightstand. It was a picture of her and Jack, taken at the cave on the beach on their seventh wedding anniversary. She'd had a copy made of the picture and had sent it home to her mother secretly, so the KGB wouldn't get their hands on it. She took the picture in her hands, and ran a finger over Jack's cheek. Then she cried and hugged the picture tightly. After a few minutes she went to her bathroom and threw some cold water on her face, so no one would see that she'd been crying. She then changed her shirt and went downstairs.

The triplets continued talking eagerly about their day as everyone else had started on dinner. Sydney, Nadia, and Eric smiled at Irina, Vaughn gave a short smile, while Jack didn't look at her. She started helping with dinner too. During dinner the triplets were still talking about their trip, explaining everything in great detail. The others talked about their day too, and what they'd seen. Eric explained everything in details about their trip, as the triplets had done about theirs. This was to the triplets' great amusement, and to him as well. He thought they were adorable.

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Jack was the one to tuck in the triplets again when it was time for bed. When they were under the covers, Maddie looked up at him.

"Did you have a good time today, daddy?" He smiled at her.

"Yes, I did."

"Are you sure, daddy?" He saw the look in Caitie's eyes and the others' too. He needed to reassure them completely. Sitting down next to them, he smiled at them warmly.

"Yes, I really did have a good time today. Honestly. I will do anything for the three of you, just as I would do anything for Sydney and Nadia. Nothing will change that. And nothing will change how much I love all of you." The triplets smiled from ear to ear at him. This was the first time he'd told them that, and Jack realized it too. "Come sit on the side of the bed, all of you." They did as they were told, and Jack took Ethan's head in his hands, and looked him straight in the eyes, while giving him a big, warm smile. "I love you Ethan. Very much, and I'm so lucky to have you." He then kissed him and hugged him.

"I love you too, daddy." He gave his son one more kiss before moving on to Caitie. He did the same with her that he'd done with her brother.

"I love you Caitie. Very much and I'm so lucky to have you." She got a kiss and a hug too.

"I love you too, daddy." He gave her another kiss and then moved on to Maddie, who received the same treatment that her siblings got.

"I love you Maddie. Very much, and I'm so lucky to have you." Like her siblings she too, got a kiss and a hug.

"I love you too, daddy." She also got another kiss, and then Jack hugged all three of them.

"Now, what story will it be tonight?"

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He came back downstairs to the living room when the triplets had fallen asleep. No one was really talking much, and no one talked much after Jack sat down. After a little while Irina got up, went to the drawers and got out a bunch of photo albums.

"I probably should've put these out earlier, but we haven't really had the time to look in them before now." She placed some of them down on the table, and Sydney and Nadia each grabbed one. "It's pictures of the triplets, throughout their first years. Sergei took pictures of them nearly everyday when he was alone with them. I thought you'd like to see them."

"Of course mom." Sydney and Vaughn looked in one together, as did Nadia and Eric. Jack also took one, but didn't look at Irina or say anything.

There was a piece of text that went with each picture, explaining what took place and the date. Jack smiled broadly as he looked at each picture carefully, wanting to notice every detail. Irina was happy that he smiled. They all made small talk about the pictures, except for Jack, who enjoyed just looking at the pictures silently. Eric laughed a little when he saw a picture of the triplets at seventeen months old, on a blanket in the garden. They looked so tiny in that big garden.

"Look at how tiny they are compared to that big garden." He held up the photo album, so everyone could see the picture. Jack looked at it too and smiled. Then Eric turned his attention to Irina. "You had this house before you knew, you were expecting triplets, right?" Irina nodded. "Then why the big house? Doesn't it seem a little big for just one person?" Everyone but Jack looked at Irina.

"I don't like being cramped. After spending so much time in prison, I like big open spaces, I can roam around in. It's freedom to me." Everyone nodded their understanding, expect for Jack. But he had heard her. He thought for sure, she'd bought the house, prior to being in prison in the US. So that didn't make sense to him. He didn't have time to think more about it, before Eric continued.

"It must have set you back a fortune. How did you get the money to buy it?" Realizing what he'd just said, he immediately looked at Irina, not really knowing what to say next. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to….I…I shouldn't have said that. I guess, I know where the money came from with your previous line of work." He looked at her apologetically, but she smiled sincerely at him.

"I can understand that you think that, but it's not the case. I bought this house with money I earned fair and square." They all looked at her in shock, and although Jack didn't look up at her, he stopped looking at the pictures.

"Legally?" Vaughn was stunned to hear, what she'd just said. She let out a small laugh, but could understand perfectly, how they could all have thought the house was bought with money made illegally.

"Yes. When my father died, my mother put money aside for me, Katya, and Elena. When she gave us them, she told us to use them on something good, something legal. I don't know what my sisters did with their money, but I invested mine. I made a lot of money, and opened a restaurant in Venice, Italy. That turned out to be a huge success, and I'm still making a lot of money off of it. It was with the profits from the restaurant that I bought this house." Sydney looked at her mother a little sad and disappointed.

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? Or at least me and Nadia." Irina could understand Sydney's feelings, and she could tell Nadia felt the same way.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you sooner. I really am. But when have we ever had the chance to sit down and talk like this? We had a few short moments to talk at the safe house, and very little time the day before we went to Vancouver. But that's about it." They were both still a bit sad and disappointed, and Irina sighed. "It's not like I kept this from you on purpose. It just never came up in the conversations we had, when we had so much else to talk about. I know it's disappointing to only learn about this now. And I know saying I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, doesn't do you that much good, but it's all I can do. I really am sorry." They both gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I know you're sorry, mom. But it would just have been nice to have known about something you've done legally, instead of only knowing about all the illegally that you've done.

"I know Sydney, I know." She received a small smile from Sydney, before she returned to look at the pictures. Irina looked over at Jack, but he just looked at the pictures.

After several hours of looking through all the photo albums Nadia looked at her watch.

"It's really late. We should probably go to bed." Everyone nodded and stood up. Eric started to pick up the photo albums, but Irina stopped him.

"Don't worry about those, Eric. I'll put them away."

"I haven't finished. When I have, I'll leave them on the table, and you can put them away tomorrow." Jack didn't look up from the photo album, he was looking in. Irina nodded.

"Okay. That's fine." Still no reaction from him. Sydney and Nadia walked over and said goodnight to him, and he gladly accepted their kiss and hug. He also smiled at Vaughn and Eric, when they said goodnight to him. But when Irina said goodnight, he didn't respond and kept his eyes on the pictures. Not wanting to bother him any further, she walked out of the living room and went to bed.

A couple of minutes after they had left, Jack looked at a picture of Irina holding the triplets on the day they were born. February 22nd. He hated himself for not at least asking when they were born. Counting backwards he realized they were conceived, when he and Irina had met up in Venice, Italy, to trade information they had on Sydney's killers. He remembered that she had said, she'd take care of dinner, and the food that was delivered to their hotel room, was the most delicious food he'd tasted in a long time at that time. He also remembered telling Irina that the food was obviously made with care and love, and she'd smiled fondly at him. Was it possible that the food had come from her restaurant?

**TBC**


	27. Chapter 27

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you for thinking that it was perfect and for loving it - you're much too kind. *hugs*

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**Chapter 27**

The next morning Jack was woken early by his two youngest daughters crawling under the covers. He smiled at them and lifted Maddie over him, so that he had a daughter on each side of him.

"Good morning, sweetheart." He gave her a kiss. She giggled a little

"Morning daddy." Then he turned and gave Caitie a kiss.

"Good morning, sweetheart." She giggled too.

"Morning daddy."

They snuggled close to their father, and Jack was enjoying himself. He took one last look at them before all three of them went back to sleep. When they all got up, Jack went with them to their bedroom to find clothes for them. He thought Irina would be there with Ethan, but was glad to see that she wasn't. However, a few minutes later he heard them approaching the bedroom. When Ethan saw his father, he ran straight to him, and Jack picked him up, hugging him, and giving him a kiss.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" Ethan gave his father a kiss.

"Morning, daddy. Yes, I did. Did you?" Jack smiled from ear to ear.

"Yes, thank you, I did." Irina smiled at the exchange between Jack and their son. She was thrilled that all four of them were so close already. At least she could find comfort in that.

"Good morning, Jack." He looked at her for a brief moment and yet again she smiled sweetly and sincerely at him. His look remained neutral.

"Morning." He sat his son down, and started helping him too, with getting ready. Irina looked down for a minute, gathering herself, before looking up again.

"Can you get them all ready? Then I'll go and get started on breakfast." He looked up at her angrily, but not so the triplets could see.

"Of course."

He tried his best to mask the anger in his voice. She was a little taken aback that he'd suddenly turned from neutral to angry, but realized that she worded her words wrong. Not really wanting to say anything in front of the triplets, she nodded and walked downstairs. She went to the living room first and saw that the photo albums were still on the table, neatly stacked. She put them away before going to the kitchen.

Shortly after Irina had gone downstairs, Jack heard movements in the hall.

"Kids, I'll be right back." He hurried out into the hall and noticed Eric walking to the bathroom. "Eric." He turned around at the sound of Jack's voice.

"Morning, Jack. I see that you're already up."

"Yes, and so are you."

"What? No, not yet. I'm just going to the bathroom. Then I'm heading back to bed."

"No, you're not. You're going to wake up Nadia, and then Sydney and Vaughn. After that you're all coming downstairs to have breakfast with the rest of us." Eric looked behind Jack to see if the triplets were listening. They weren't, but he leaned a little closer to Jack anyway, and lowered his voice.

"Jack, I know that you're still angry with Irina, and you have every right to be. I mean, I'd like it, if you'd talk and listen to her, but I understand your anger. However, it's between you and her. Not the rest of us. So, if you don't mind, I'll be heading back to bed, sleeping for another hour or half." Jack looked behind him, also checking to see if the triplets were there. When he knew they weren't, he turned back to Eric, turning on his Bristow death glare, and spoke with the same tone in his voice. Eric suddenly became fully awake.

"This is _not_ a vacation, _agent_ Weiss. It's business. Need I remind you that we're here on behalf of the CIA, and that Irina Derevko is in our custody? And also that I'm your _boss_?" Eric stared wide eyed at Jack and shook his head. "You do with less sleep on other missions, and this is no exception. Now I suggest you put your clothes on, wake up my daughters and Vaughn, and meet us for breakfast in the kitchen in twenty minutes. Am I making myself clear?" Eric nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Good, then get to it." He turned on his heels and walked back to the children's bedroom. Eric let out a held in breath, and went to his bedroom to tell Nadia to get up.

Jack took his time with the triplets and twenty minutes later all four of them returned to the hall, where they met up with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle. Sydney and Nadia both rolled their eyes at their dad, not wanting to say anything to him in front of the triplets. Isabelle was grabbing Vaughn's hair that he didn't have time to respond with anything, and Eric just gave him a nod.

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When they all got to the kitchen Irina was by the sink, and surprised to see them all walking in at the same time.

"Good morning. You're all up early." Nadia gave her mother a smile.

"Yeah well, we can't sleep the day away." Irina returned the smile and turned back to the sink. Nadia rolled her eyes at her father once again before sitting down. Jack walked to the sink to get mugs. He concentrated on what he was doing without looking at Irina. His voice being a little harsh.

"I'll be spending the day alone with our children. We'll more than likely be bringing Isabelle too." Irina looked up at him shocked. He still didn't look at her.

"All five of them?"

"Unless we have anymore children I don't know about, then yes. All five of them."

"So, I'm left here with Michael and Eric?"

"You get along perfectly with Eric, and you get on well with Vaughn. You've spend time with them in the past, so I don't see why that should be any different now." She took her eyes away from him.

"Have you told the kids?"

"No. But I'm sure they don't mind spending time with their dad." She nodded, and when he was just about to turn to leave, she talked to him again.

"Jack, I'm sorry about before. In the bedroom. I wasn't implying that you're not capable of taking care of the triplets by yourself. Because you are. I'm sorry about what I said, and I didn't mean it. That's not how I wanted it to sound." She was trying her best to let him know, how sorry she was. She spoke softly and apologetically. He turned back around, so that the others couldn't see him, or read his lips. He spoke more harshly.

"Are you sure about that? You didn't seem to think I was capable, since I wasn't supposed to know about them until they were _five_, in case anything happened to you." She looked at him, pleading with him to look at her with her voice and eyes.

"I am so sorry about that. Please believe me, how sorry I am about that. It was wrong of me, and I regret making that decision. Jack, you're a wonderful father, and I know that you're capable of taking care of them." He answered her harshly and sarcastically.

"Well, how big of you to realize that. Too bad it had to take you more than three years to realize it."

"Jack, I'm sorry. Please Jack. Please." The rest of her words were whispered as he turned and walked to the table. She turned her head to the sink, rinsing the last of the pears, while gathering herself, before sitting down at the table. After everyone had eaten for a while, Jack looked around at his children.

"I was thinking that I could spend the day alone with all you kids. How do feel about that?" Sydney and Nadia looked at him surprised, then at each other, then at their mother, who was concentrating on her food, then at Vaughn and Eric, who both looked at them equally surprised, and then back at their father. Maddie looked at him a little puzzled.

"So it would just be you, me, Caitie, Ethan, Sydney, and Nadia? Jack nodded.

"Yes. Well, Isabelle can come too, if she'd like." Isabelle cooed and smiled at her grandpa. He smiled back at her. "It sounds like she'd like to come." Irina looked up and smiled around at her children.

"I think it'd be wonderful for all of you to spend the day with your father."

"Are you sure, mommy?"

"Yes, I'm sure sweetheart. Michael, Eric, and I will have lots of fun. Won't we boys?" She smiled at Vaughn and Eric while pleading them to say yes.

"Uh yeah, sure. We'll have lots of fun."

"Absolutely." She smiled at them, thanking them. They both gave her a nod. The triplets looked around at each other, and then smiled broadly at their father.

"We'll have lots of fun too, won't we, daddy."

"We certainly will." He looked at Sydney and Nadia and smiled. "Won't we?" They both gave him a sincere smile.

"Yes, dad. That's a given." Nadia nodded, agreeing with what Sydney had just said.

They continued eating their breakfast, talking about what to do, what to see, but more or less decided that they'd figure it out on the road. After breakfast Sydney and Nadia helped the triplets get ready, and Isabelle too, while Jack and Irina cleared most of the table. They brought plates and mugs to the sink, while Vaughn and Eric were drinking the last of their coffee.

"Will you be back for dinner?"

"Yes." Not a hint of warmth in Jack's voice.

"I'm glad." She smiled at him, but he just turned and walked away.

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Irina, Vaughn, and Eric said goodbye to everyone. Jack had given Vaughn and Eric a smile when saying goodbye, but all Irina received from him was a small nod, and that was only because everyone was looking at them. Irina, Vaughn, and Eric stood in the hall looking around at each other, after having waved goodbye to the others outside.

"Uh, so? What now?"

"Look, you and Eric don't have to stay here with me. If you want to go out and see the city, or go for a drive, you can use my car. I can stay here."

"Actually, you can't." Irina looked at Eric puzzled. "Well you see, since the pardoning agreement hasn't been signed yet, you're in our custody. We can't let you walk out on your own or leave you home alone." Irina's jaw dropped, not believing what he'd just said.

"I assure you, I have no intention of running. I'll stay here at the house reading a book or cleaning or something."

"That may very well be, but we can't leave you alone." She shook her head, closing her eyes.

"I will honor the agreement. I would be an idiot if I di…." She opened her eyes, and stopped talking when she saw that Eric had a hard time controlling his laughter. Realization dawned on her. "You were kidding." He burst out laughing and Vaughn snickered a little too. Irina joined in too.

"Well, not really. You're still in our custody, and will remain so until the agreement is signed. We're not really supposed to let you out of our sight, but we know that you wouldn't run, so we could let you stay home alone." He had his laughter under control and smiled at her sincerely. "However. There's no reason for Vaughn and I to go out on our own and leave you here alone. We could all three do something together." She smiled back at Eric, and turned her attention to Vaughn. He gave her a small sincere smile too, and a nod.

"Thank you. I'd like to spend the day with you. And thank you for the laugh. I needed that." Eric gave her another sincere smile and a nod, understanding that the last few days hadn't been easy for her.

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Jack, his children, and granddaughter had spent a pleasant day together. They'd taken in a few sights, done a little shopping, and now it was in the late afternoon, and Jack, Sydney, and Nadia were watching the triplets having fun at the playground. Isabelle was sleeping in her stroller.

Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, trying to get the other one to start talking to their father. Finally Sydney started.

"So, dad? When do you plan on talking to mom?" He turned to look at her, speaking calmly but neutral.

"I don't see how that's any business of yours." She sighed deeply.

"Please, dad. Hear her out. If you start doing that, then maybe you can start talking about your other issues. Get things out in the open." Now he got a little angry with her.

"I have every right to be angry with her. She kept my own children away from me." He looked between both of them, his voice a mix of angry and hurt. "I can't believe how much the two of you are taking her side in all of this." He turned his attention to Sydney. "You of all people should know how her betrayal, secrets, and lies hurt. I thought you'd be a little more understanding of my feelings." She stared at him wide eyed for a few seconds and then compassionately.

"Dad, I do understand. Nadia and I both understand your feelings. Mom had no right to keep the triplets a secret from you, and if anything had happened to her, you should've gotten them before they were five. But you have to understand things from our point of view too. She's our mother. And although she walked out on me when I was little, and has done other horrible things along the way, she's still my mother. I love her and she loves me. She explained years ago, why she had to shoot me in Taipei and we did a lot of talking in the emails and at the safe house. Along with you she helped Vaughn stay safe, and she was largely responsible for ending Rambaldi once and for all. I've let the past go, because I know she's there for me now and loves me. There are some things I'd still like to know about the past, and I'm sure she'll answer them, but for a little while longer I'm content with her loving me as much as she does, and knowing she'd never do anything to hurt me." He let her words sink in, then nodded at both her and Nadia. He spoke calmer.

"Yes, I can understand your feelings towards her, and I'll never stand in the way of your relationship with her. Let's just agree to stay out of each other's way regarding your mother, shall we?" Sydney and Nadia both nodded but sighed deeply too. They knew there was nothing they could do to change his feelings about their mother.

"So, are you just never going to listen to her?" Nadia looked at him a little sad. Jack's voice was still filled with a little anger.

"Only when she tells me something that's worth listening too." He looked away from them and turned his focus on the triplets. "I think I'll go join your siblings." He left Sydney and Nadia sitting back feeling sad.

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Around the same time back at the house, Irina, Vaughn, and Eric were sitting outside having coffee and playing cards. Irina had taken them to a museum, and then they'd stopped to buy groceries before heading back to the house. They'd talked mostly about the city throughout the day, but hadn't really said much to each other during the last hour. She thought she'd asked them something about the pardoning agreement.

"So, since the pardoning agreement only really spoke of what the terms are, would either of you fill me in on how I actually got it? I mean, the girls obviously didn't know about it, so someone else must have done something to make it happen." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other. They really saw no point in keeping it from her, since she would know about it at the meeting that would take place, when she signed it.

"One night I went to Jack's place to pick up Isabelle's teddy bear, we'd forgotten there the night before. I asked to use the bathroom, and when I came in, I saw that he had a lot of papers and reports on his table. He was going over the time of death of when the CIA agents had been killed as well as the locations of the assassinations, comparing data with where you'd been, when the assassinations had taken place. He had taken some of his findings to Devlin, who told him to investigate the matter further, and come back with as thorough a report as possible, if there was going to be any possibility for a pardon. When I saw what he was doing, I wanted to help. Despite our history, you helped to keep me safe, and end Rambaldi. Getting you a pardon would also be the best thing for everyone. You'd be free to see Sydney, Nadia, and Isabelle, and they would have you in their lives daily. I thought, it would be to your advantage, if I spoke in your favor, given our situation. Jack and I agreed that we should probably get more people to speak on your behalf, so we asked Weiss, Dixon, Marshall, and Rachel. We figured, the CIA wouldn't think that Sydney and Nadia could give an objective opinion, so we decided not to include them. We also didn't want to tell them about the possibility of you getting a pardon, if it didn't work out. We let Devlin in on us working with you to end Rambaldi, Sloane, McKenas, and Peyton. That also spoke in your favor. When we handed Devlin a very thorough report of our findings, he talked it over with four other high ranking agents, and directors within the CIA. But apparently also some unknown person came to your defense. Neither of us knows, who that is, but we'll meet the person at the meeting. Since there were only four agents, where we couldn't really prove your whereabouts, the CIA decided to trust that you hadn't assassinated them, because they had proof that you hadn't assassinated all the others. Jack got the call from Devlin saying your pardon had been granted, and he got Marshall to make that liquid tracker. Later Jack got the specifics regarding the pardoning agreement, where it stated that he, as director of APO, was in charge of you, and that you only check in with him and no one else. He agreed to those terms." Irina stared dumbfounded at Vaughn. She couldn't believe everything she'd just heard. It took awhile for it to sink in, and when it did a tear escaped her eye.

"I can't believe you did that. Thank you so much, Michael. I can't tell you how much that means to me." Her words were heartfelt and he gave her a sincere smile.

"You're welcome." She turned her attention to Eric.

"The same goes for you, Eric. Thank you so much." He gave her a broad smile.

"Don't mention it. I was happy to do it." She looked between them smiling warmly at them, drying her eyes, and then shook her head a little, smiling.

"And I can't believe Jack did that. After everything I've ever done to him, and to all of you, I can't believe you all did that for me. I don't deserve it." She leaned back in her chair with a smile on her face, but then curiosity set in. "How was Jack able to prove, I didn't kill all those agents?" She looked between Vaughn and Eric, waiting to see if they would answer. They looked at each other knowing they might as well tell her that too.

"Jack kept everything about your life together. Everything you had ever collected and all of your things. He had it all stored in a huge storage space, so he could easily find everything you'd documented regarding your whereabouts during the assassinations." She stared dumbfounded at Eric.

"Why on earth would he keep all of my things, when he believed everything was a lie?"

"He said he kept it in case Sydney would want some of it one day." She nodded. Of course, he'd kept it for Sydney.

"Well, I'm certainly glad he did." She smiled at both of them, and they picked up their card game.

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When Jack arrived back with his children and Isabelle, they joined the others in the garden. Everyone talked about their day, and how much fun they'd had. Jack didn't really talk much about the day, but let everyone else explain it. He didn't really want to hear about what Irina, Vaughn, and Eric had been doing, but considered the triplets' feelings, and knew he couldn't just get up and leave.

After about an hour they all went to the kitchen to make dinner, and despite her best efforts to get Jack to give her the time of day, he wouldn't. She had tried her best to get him to talk about his day with the children. But since the triplets were coloring all the way over at the table, there was no reason for him to talk to her.

Dinner was the same as the previous evenings, and Jack tucked the triplets in again. About an hour and a half after he had tugged them in, Jack stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Good night."

Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were sitting close to each other, so he only looked in their direction before turning to leave. They were all a little surprised that he went to bed so early that they didn't really have time to respond to him, before he walked towards the door. Irina on the other hand got out of her seat quickly. She thought, she might be able to get him to listen to her, but knew that she probably had to move quickly for that to happen.

"Jack wait." He kept walking. "Jack would you please listen to me?" He kept walking, and when he wasn't that far from the door, Irina ran over and blocked the door before he had a chance to get out. "Jack, please listen to me." He tried to get around her, but she kept blocking his way. "Jack, I'm begging you to please hear me out." Her plea was obvious in her voice, but all she got from Jack was an angry and cold look. He tried to get past her again, but she kept moving from side to side blocking his way, and talking at the same time. "Jack, I am truly sorry for not telling you about the triplets sooner. I should have, and I was so wrong not to. When you got out of solitary confinement, I didn't want to see you go back there, if you were caught associating with me. I thought, they might be watching you, and I didn't want to be the reason, for you going back there. Not again. I wanted to wait a few months, when I thought it was safe to look you up again, but then I was taken by Elena. I know, I should've told Sergei to bring the triplets to you the minute something happened to me, and I didn't return home. I know that you would be capable of raising them. I know that now, and I should've been more aware of it then. I was an idiot, and I'll never forgive myself for being that stupid. I should've told you about them in Sovogda, but things were crazy at that time, and when you said, you wouldn't bring me back with you, I had to make a quick getaway before you were extracted, since Michael had already gotten in touch with the CIA. I should've contacted you the minute I got back, but I was selfish and wanted to spend time with them, since I barely knew them myself. I know that doesn't justify anything, and I'm sorry for being so selfish. When I got involved in the whole Rambaldi business, I wanted to end that first. I wanted to make sure that all our children were safe from that. I know I had times to tell you in between, but I also wanted to tell you in private, without anyone else leaning about them at the same time, and we were also fighting most of the time. That's still no excuse, I know. Then when we got back from Mongolia, I was figuring out on how to tell you. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, so I wanted it to be just right, which is why I never told you before you came here. I know all of this doesn't justify anything, and all I can tell you, is that I'm a terrible person for keeping this from you for so long. I am so sorry for always causing you heartache, and if I could change my actions, I would do it in a heartbeat. I'm not asking for your forgiveness or apology, because I don't deserve it. But I'm begging you for just a little understanding. I'm so sorry Jack. So, sorry. Even more now that I know how close you came, to never meeting the triplets, after having saved Sydney's life, and nearly dying of radiation."

Tears had been running down her face the entire time, but Jack's expression had remained the same. Until now. He got even more furious than before, and he voice was low and filled with anger.

"How do you know about that?" He hadn't heard the girls telling Irina that part the other night, and he hadn't noticed Sydney saying they'd explain, how she and Nadia knew that Jack's father had sort of walked out on him.

"Uh dad, we told mom that the other night, when she told us how the triplets got their names." Jack turned around and looked angrily at Sydney and Nadia.

"You had no business telling her that."

"They might not have, but I'm glad they did. I can't believe how close Sydney came to being exposed to radiation, and how close you came to dying from it. I wish, I would've known about it sooner. I know I probably didn't deserve to know about you, but I wish you would've told me." He turned back around to look at Irina, his voice remaining the same as before.

"Give me one good reason, why I should've told you?"

They stared each other straight in the eyes, but when she was not able to get her words out from crying so hard, he left after ten seconds, finally able to leave the living room. Irina stood back for a few moments still shook up, before she put her face in her hands and cried even harder. Sydney and Nadia were shaken too, but went to their mother to try and comfort her. They hugged her for a little while, but the tears were still coming hard, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"I'm sorry, but I need some air." They let her have her space, and when she was out of the door walking around in the garden, Nadia wrapped herself in Eric's waiting arms crying, and Sydney did the same with Vaughn.

**TBC**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Early in the morning Jack was woken by something soft that was thrown in his face. He woke startled and removed the thing from his face. It was a white fluffy teddy bear. Then he felt someone moving under the covers and noticed Caitie.

"Good morning, daddy. I brought Fluffy with me."

"Yeah, I can see that." He looked at the bear a little closely before handing it to Caitie, when she was snuggled up next to him and gave her a kiss. "Morning."

"Ethan and Maddie are snuggling with mommy, and tomorrow we'll trade."

"Okay. I'll look forward to that, just as I'll look forward to snuggling with you right now."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"How come Sydney and Nadia don't snuggle with you and mommy?" He couldn't help but laugh a little at that comment.

"Because Sydney and Nadia snugg…." Images of Sydney snuggling with Vaughn, and Nadia snuggling with Eric suddenly entered his mind, and he shook his head. He did not want to think of them doing that. "They're both a little old to be doing that."

"So when I'm their age, I won't want to snuggle with you and mommy?" He laughed again.

"No, probably not."

"But if I still want to, can I?"

"Of course."

"Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart."

"Can Maddie and Ethan snuggle with you too when they're older, if they want to?" He smiled broadly.

"Yes, they can." He could feel her move around a bit, not really being able to settle in.

"Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart."

"I can't sleep."

"I had a feeling you couldn't. Do you want to get up and go for a walk, just the two of us?"

"Yeah." She was excited about that and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, but you have to be quiet, so that we won't wake the others." She leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"Okay daddy." They got out of bed and got dressed quietly. Jack got them some fruit and juice boxes to bring with them. They walked around the neighborhood, enjoined themselves talking and looking at their surroundings.

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When Irina went to the triplets' bedroom to help get Maddie and Ethan dressed, she expected Jack to be there too. She wasn't really sure if she was up to meeting him. Last night had been so exhausting. He had every right to be angry, and she deserved it. But if they could just get along better, for the sake of the children. She was a little relieved when he wasn't there, and also a little relieved that he hadn't showed up by the time she had finished with Maddie and Ethan. Ethan looked in the hall before they were set to go downstairs.

"Where are daddy and Caitie?"

"I don't know, sweetheart, but I'm sure they'll get downstairs soon, if they're not there already." He nodded and Irina took Ethan and Maddie by their hands and walked downstairs. When they got to the kitchen Irina went to the fridge, while the children looked outside from the door leading out.

"Mommy, can we have breakfast outside today?" Irina went to the door and opened it. She stepped outside for a minute to feel the weather.

"Yeah, I think that would be nice." They smiled broadly at their mother.

"Can we go outside and wait?"

"Yes, let me just go and get the cushions." She heard footsteps in the hall, but she could tell they didn't belong to Jack. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle walked into the kitchen all greeting the others good morning. "Good morning. We decided to eat outside today. Could one of you get the cushions from the garage? I'll get started on breakfast."

"Sure, I'll get them. Are they anywhere in particular, or will I be able to find them easily?"

"You won't be able to miss them. They're right on the table in the corner." Eric nodded and started to walk outside.

"Mommy, can Maddie and I go with Eric?" Eric turned around and smiled at them.

"Sure if Eric doesn't mind?" She had seen his smile and knew that he wouldn't.

"I don't mind one bit." He held out his hands to them. "One hand for you, and one hand for you." They each took hold of one of his hands and walked outside. Nadia couldn't help but smile.

"Are dad and Caitie up yet?" Sydney looked at her mother.

"No, I don't think so. I haven't seen them yet." Irina went on with breakfast and Sydney and Nadia helped. Isabelle cooed and waved her hands at the door leading outside.

"You want to go see what uncle Eric is up to, sweetie?" She cooed even more. "I'll just take her outside. If you need any help, just let me know." Sydney turned to Vaughn.

"Thanks, but I don't think that'll be necessary. You two just enjoy the weather outside. I'll bring her chair out in a minute." Vaughn gave Sydney a nod and a smile before going outside. They went on with preparing breakfast silently, and while Sydney and Nadia were bringing out most of the things, Jack and Caitie returned home. Irina turned her head to the kitchen door when she heard the front door, and a couple of seconds later Caitie came into the kitchen.

"Morning mommy." She gave Irina a hug and a kiss.

"Morning sweetheart. Where have you been this morning?" She asked out of interest, not because she was worried.

"I couldn't sleep, so daddy and I went for a walk. We had fun, mommy." Irina smiled lovingly at her daughter.

"I'm glad."

"Are we eating outside today?"

"Yes, we are. Why don't you join the others, and I'll be out in a minute." Just as Caitie walked outside, Sydney walked back inside, just barely stepping inside, when she saw Jack walking into the kitchen from the hall.

"Morning, dad." She smiled warmly at her father.

"Morning, sweetheart." He returned the warm smile he was given.

"Now that you're here, could you grab the coffee mugs?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." He walked over to the cabinet to get the mugs. Irina turned to him, and gave him the same warm and sincere smile, she'd given him every morning.

"Good morning, Jack." He didn't pay any attention to her, but continued with what he was doing. "Caitie said you had fun out walking. Did you take her to the playground again?" He still didn't talk to her, and her voice turned pleading. "Jack, I am so sorry for not telling you about them. I'm so sorry for the way I handle the situation. I regret that from the bottom of my heart." Still nothing. "Please Jack, would you just look at me. Jack, please, I'm begging you." He put the last mug on the tray and left without a look or a word. She sighed deeply and poured the coffee on the thermos, and headed outside.

After setting down the tray on the table, Jack went around to give Ethan and Maddie a good morning hug and kiss. When he passed Nadia to get to his seat, she stood up and gave her father a good morning hug and kiss too. He gave her a warm smiled and sat down as Irina walked out. Sydney looked over at her father and gave him a warm smile too, which he returned. Maddie turned her attention to her father.

"Daddy, Caitie said you two went for a walk, and that Ethan and I will go for a walk with you tomorrow morning."

"That's right sweetheart. But it's only if you want to go for a walk that early."

"We want to, daddy." Ethan smiled from ear to ear at his father, and Jack returned the same warm smile.

"I'm looking forward to it already."

"So, what did the two of you see on your walk?" Irina looked between Jack and Caitie, but only her daughter looked at her and answered her.

"We saw trees, and birds, and dogs, and houses, and a couple kissing, and cars. Right daddy?" Jack looked over at Caitie and smiled.

"Right."

"Well, you sure had an exiting morning." She looked over at Jack, who just ate his food, and looked at everyone other than her. "So, what would everyone like to do today?" They all looked around at each other shrugging. "What about sightseeing and shopping? Does that sound like something everyone could agree to?" Everyone said yes, while Jack just gave a small nod.

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They decided to take in one of the historical sights, which would take up a large part of their day. Jack once again drove in the same car with Irina and the triplets. She explained about the place they were seeing on the way, but he only replied her with small nods. Every chance he got, he would talk to the triplets, so he wouldn't have to answer her.

When they got there, they all walked around together. After lunch they continued to do the same, but at one point the triplets walked with their sisters, Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle, and Jack walked around alone. Irina decided to walk up beside him.

"So Jack, what do you think about the place? I know your love for history, so I thought this would be a nice place for you to visit." He didn't acknowledge her presence. "I'm glad I could also bring Sydney and Nadia." He walked a little faster, but she kept up the pace. He stopped to read something about the place, and when the couple standing next to him left and were far enough away from him, Irina stepped closer to him. "Jack, I am so sorry. I did a horrible thing, I know that. I've done nothing but horrible things to you, and if I could change things, I would. In a heartbeat. But unfortunately, I can't. I am begging you, for the sake of our children, to just acknowledge my presence, to talk to me, to just be a little civil to me. Please Jack, please." After he was done reading, he simply walked on. Irina sighed deeply and left to find the children.

He didn't talk to her for the rest of the visit, or when they were out shopping. He walked around with Ethan, Vaughn, and Eric, while the girls walked around together. Later they all walked around together, and the car ride home was the same way as when they left home. He had bought some new coloring books for the triplets, which they eagerly started painting in when they got home, and everyone else started on dinner.

Throughout dinner Jack didn't look or talk to her, and only nodded when he had to at anything she said. After dinner he was coloring with the triplets, and having lots of fun with them.

Eventually it was their bedtime.

"Time for bed, kids. Who do you want to tuck you in tonight?" The triplets looked around at each other, and then looked between their mother and their father. Ethan looked at his mother.

"Can both you and daddy tuck us in tonight?" Irina looked at the triplets surprised and then over at Jack, who was staring down on the floor.

"Uh sweetheart, I don't know. Maybe it's easier if just one of us tuck you in." Irina looked over at Jack again, who was still looking down on the floor.

"No, it's not easier, mommy. Please. Please mommy?" Maddie walked over to her father.

"Daddy, can you and mommy, please tuck us in together? Please, daddy?" He looked at her, and saw the sad look in her eyes. Then he looked at Ethan and Caitie, who had the same look in their eyes. He gave her a smile.

"Of course." Their sadness quickly turned to happiness, and they smiled from ear to ear. "Go say goodnight to everyone." They said their goodnights, and went upstairs with Jack and Irina. Once in bed Jack sat on one side of the bed and Irina sat on the other side of the bed the triplets were sharing.

"So, which one of us should read you a story?" Irina looked at the triplets, who looked at each other.

"Is it okay, if daddy reads us a story?" Maddie asked a little nervously. Irina smiled warmly at her daughter and stroked her gently over the head.

"Of course it's okay."

"Are you sure, mommy? You're not mad about that?" Irina couldn't believe the nervousness she heard in her daughter's voice, and the nervousness she saw in the eyes of the other two.

"No, sweetheart, no. I'm not mad. Please don't think that. I'm not mad." She smiled at them reassuringly, hoping to get through to them, and when they smiled she was relieved. "Which story do you want your father to read to you?"

"That one." Caitie pointed to one of the books on Irina's side, and she picked it up and handed it to Jack.

"Thanks." He didn't look at her when he took the book, but looked instead at the triplets and smiled at them.

While he read the story, Irina looked between him and the triplets, smiling at all of them. She enjoyed hearing Jack reading the story, hearing the softness and warmth in his voice. When he finished the story, both he and Irina kissed the triplets goodnight, and stayed with them until they fell asleep, which didn't take long, due to the long day they'd had. Jack walked out of their room first and was already out of sight, when Irina came out of the room. She sighed deeply and walked downstairs to the living room.

Downstairs Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric were playing cards when Jack came down. Nadia looked up at him.

"Already asleep?"

"Yeah. They were pretty exhausted after the day they had." Irina came into the living room, and stood next to Jack.

"Would you like to play cards with us?" They all looked at Jack and Irina.

"I'll pass." Jack turned his head a little sideways at Irina, but didn't look at her, and his voice was neutral. "I'd like to look in the photo albums again."

"Sure. Go ahead. They're in the same place as the other day." Jack walked over to the drawers, and Irina walked over to the others. "I'd like to join your game." They all gave her a smile and she took a seat. About two and a half hours later, they put the cards away and stood up.

"I think it's time for bed." They all nodded at Sydney. "Goodnight mom." Sydney gave her a kiss on the cheek, and walked over to her father. "Are you going to bed too?"

"No, I'll stay up for a while longer looking at the pictures." She smiled giving him a kiss too.

"Okay, goodnight dad." He smiled back.

"Goodnight sweetheart." Nadia gave the same treatment to her parents that Sydney had done, and the guys said goodnight to both of them.

The girls looked at their mother, to see if she was following them, but Irina shook her head. They gave her a nod, and left. Irina stood up for a while looking at Jack before she sat down across from him, picking up a photo album. After a while sitting in silence, Irina looked at Jack.

"Jack, thank you for everything you did to get me the pardoning agreement. You absolutely didn't have to do that. After everything I've ever done to you, you certainly didn't need to do that. You don't owe me anything, and still you did this beautiful thing. Thank you, Jack, thank you." He didn't look up at her, or reacted any differently to her words. She went on. "Thank you for saving all the things from our past, all of my things. I know they were a large part of getting me pardoned. It means a lot to me that you would save all of it for Sydney. That can't have been easy for you, and I can't tell you how much that means to me." There was still no reaction from him. He just sat there flipping through the photo album. She ran her hands over her face, and tried to get him to talk to her again, or at least look at her. She pleaded with him. "Jack, please look at me, just please look at me. Jack, I am sorry. More sorry than you'll ever realize. I deserve your anger, but I beg of you to please look at me and talk to me. Jack please. Please? Would you just do that please?" He closed the photo album, grabbed another and headed for the door. She got up too. "Jack, please talk to me. Jack please."

This time she wasn't fast enough to block his way, and he was out the door and up the stairs in no time. She looked up the stairs, watching him disappear. She leaned against the wall, sighing deeply before going back to the living room to turn off the lights, and then headed to bed herself.

**TBC**


	29. Chapter 29

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the interaction. I'm really sorry that I didn't get around to applying to your PM and that I haven't been updating for a while, but I've been busy. Thank you very much for loving my story and thinking it's great. You're much too kind. *hugs*

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**Chapter 29**

Caitie woke up Irina when she got under the covers.

"Morning, sweetheart. Morning, Fluffy." She gave her daughter a kiss and gave the teddy bear a little scratch on the head. Then she pulled her daughter closer, hugging her a little tighter. "I love you, Caitie."

"I love you too, mommy."

"You know your father loves you too, right?" Irina looked Caitie in the eyes, and Caitie looked up at her. They smiled at each other.

"Yes, mommy."

"Good. Because, we both love you, and the rest of your siblings so much. Don't ever forget or doubt that." Caitie smiled and nodded. Irina placed another kiss to her forehead, and they fell asleep.

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Jack got up when Ethan and Maddie came into his room, waking him up. They were ready for their walk, and very excited to go. After walking around for an hour they sat down on a bench drinking a juice box. Jack had a child on each side of him, and he had an arm around each of them.

"So, what do you two want to do today? Later in the day, I mean, with everyone else." Ethan and Caitie looked at each other, then up at their father.

"We could go to the amusement park. They also have a petting zoo with goats there. But we'd have to drive there."

"That's okay. We've driven to everything else we've seen."

"Are you sure, daddy?" He could tell that he needed to reassure them more strongly.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I love you two, and I love your sisters. More than any of you could possibly realize. That is never going to change. Never. And your mother loves you too. Very, very much. Never doubt our love for you." He kissed them both on the head and smiled. He was happy to see that they smiled back at him.

"I love you too, daddy."

"Me too, daddy." They smiled broader at their dad, and Jack gave them another kiss and then hugged them tight.

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Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle were the first ones to enter the kitchen. They started on breakfast, and it only took a couple of minutes before they were joined by Irina and Caitie.

"Morning all." They all turned to face Irina and Caitie when they walked in, greeting them back. Caitie ran over and gave Nadia a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, Nadia. I love you." Nadia couldn't help but smile broadly at her sister.

"Good morning, sweetie. I love you too." They gave each other one more hug before Caitie moved onto Sydney.

"Morning, Sydney. I love you." She also received a hug and a kiss from her sister.

"Morning, sweetie. I love you too." They too hugged one more time. Eric held out his arms as Caitie turned around.

"Me next." Caitie smiled broadly at him. She hugged him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and told him she loved him. Eric smiled at her. "You're just too adorable. I love you too." Caitie giggled. Then she ran over and gave Vaughn the same treatment.

"I love you too, Caitie." Irina sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, and Caitie went over to her and sat on her lap, while the rest went on with breakfast.

When breakfast was almost ready they heard the front door, and a couple of seconds later, Jack walked in carrying Maddie and Ethan. Everyone turned to look at them and couldn't help but smile at the beautiful sight. Jack gave each of them a kiss before setting them down. They ran over to Irina, and Caitie got off of Irina's lap and ran over to Jack. Jack picked up Caitie and gave her a kiss and a hug.

"Good morning, sweetheart. I love you." Caitie gave her father a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, daddy. I love you too." Irina hugged Maddie and Ethan and gave them each a kiss.

"Morning you two. I love you." They gave her a kiss too.

"Morning, mommy. I love you too."

"Morning, mommy. I love you too." Then they ran over to Nadia and Sydney, taking turns to give them the same treatment that Caitie had just given them moments before. After that they moved on to Vaughn and Eric and did the same with them. Ethan turned to his mother again, when he saw that the door to the outside was open. "Are we eating outside again today?"

"Yes we are. You three can go outside. We'll be out in a minute." The triplets took each other by the hands and walked outside. Everyone else looked at them with a big smile on their faces, until they were outside.

Everyone said good morning to Jack. He said a simple 'morning' meant for everyone, but his head was turned in the direction away from Irina. He picked up the bread and walked outside. While everyone else went on to get the last things ready, Irina looked as Jack walked outside. From the corner of his eye, Eric noticed her looking at Jack.

When they were eating, Ethan and Maddie told everyone, what they had seen that morning on their walk with Jack. They'd seen pretty much the same as Caitie yesterday, and Jack acted the same as yesterday, by not paying much attention to Irina. When they'd finished Maddie looked at her mother.

"Mommy, guess what?"

"What sweetheart?" Maddie was obvious excited and Irina loved seeing that in her children.

"Daddy agreed to take us to the amusement park today." She smiled at her daughter.

"That's sweet of him. Will it just be the two of you, Ethan, and Caitie?"

"No mommy. We're all going. Right, daddy?" Maddie looked at her father, who gave her smile.

"Yes, we're all going." Maddie turned her attention back to her mother.

"You do want to go, don't you, mommy?" Irina was sitting next to Maddie, and picked up her hand, giving it a kiss.

"Yes sweetheart. I would love to go. In fact, I'm looking forward to it already." Maddie's smile grew wider. Caitie, who was sitting next to Jack, was excited to hear that they were going to the amusement park.

"We're really going to the amusement park, daddy?" He turned to look at her, smiling widely at her.

"Yes, we're really going. And from what I've been told, it's quite a long drive, so we should probably get ready to leave." He didn't need to tell them that twice. They were out of their seats in no time, running inside. Everyone left at the table laughed at them. "We better get ready." They all nodded and got out of their seats. Sydney took Isabelle, while Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric grabbed some of the things on the table and carried them inside. Jack and Irina were gathering the last of the things.

"It'll be fun going to the amusement park. The triplets have been a few times before, and they really love it." Jack continued gathering the last of the plates, without paying any attention to what Irina was telling him. She sighed deeply. "Jack, please talk to me." Picking up the last plate, he walked inside without looking at her. Sighing one more time, she grabbed the mugs and went inside.

They got the triplets ready together without really talking much to each other, and during the more than one hour drive to the amusement park, they didn't speak much to each other either. The triplets did most of the talking in the car, explaining eagerly about everything in the amusement park. They were very fond of the petting zoo.

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When they arrived, they all walked around for a while, getting to know the park, and finding out where everything was. The triplets explained eagerly about everything, and talked about the previous times they'd been here. They tried some of the rides. Mostly the triplets. The rest of them were content just watching them having a great time. Jack was silent most of the time, but thoroughly enjoying spending the day at the amusement park, seeing his children so happy. A while after lunch Irina, Sydney, and Nadia went off to try one of the biggest rollercoaster.

"Mom, I'm not so sure about this after all." Sydney looked a little frightened.

"Oh come on. It's not that bad."

"I'm not so sure about it either." Nadia had the same expression on her face as Sydney did, and Irina couldn't help but be amused. She leaned in close to her daughters, whispering so no one would hear her.

"You two are both spies. You've tried much worse things than this rollercoaster. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll hold your hands." Sydney and Nadia smiled warmly at their mother.

"Okay, mom. But you have to promise not to let go."

"I never will." They all shared one more smile before they headed for the line to the rollercoaster.

When they returned to everyone else, they were laughing out loud. Ethan looked at them and smiled.

"Did you have fun, mommy?"

"Oh yes sweetheart. So much. It was just want I needed. I can't remember the last time I've had that much fun, or screamed so loudly."

"Yeah mom, Sydney and I have to admit that that was fun. I'm glad you talked us into it." They continued laughing for a little while, before Irina turned her attention to everyone else.

"So, what's next?" Everyone shrugged, not really caring what they did next.

"Can we go see the goats?"

"Sure Maddie. Is everyone onboard with that?" Nobody disagreed, and they went off to see the goats.

They bought some food to feed the goats with. No one had any trouble feeding them, except for Jack. None of them seemed to what to eat out of his hands. A lot of the goats surrounded Irina, and she took her time to pet them all and feed them. She was enjoying herself. Caitie looked up at her father, who was still standing trying to get a goat to take food from him.

"Daddy, I don't think you're much of a goat person."

"No, Caitie it would seem like they don't like me much."

"Maybe you should try harder, daddy. Like this." Caitie leaned forward, getting down to a lower level. Not that she needed to, but she wanted to show her father, how he might get a goat to take food from him. "You try, daddy."

"Okay, I'll try." He leaned forward, reaching out his hand with food for the goat to take, but it didn't take it. Still standing the same way, he turned his head to look at Caitie. "I don't think it's worki…..ow." Everyone started roaring with laughter. A goat had come up from behind Jack, and bit his butt. He tried to get away, but it was able to bite him again. "Ow. Get away from me, you goat. Go. Get." He looked around at everyone, who was still roaring with laughter. "It's not funny. Stop laughing. It's not funny." He tried to get away from the goat, but it kept following him. "Get away from me. Go."

"The goat likes you, daddy."

"Yeah, a little too much." Eric went a little closer to the goat.

"It's a she. She likes you, Jack. Or maybe she loves you." They all laughed harder at Eric's comment. "I think the goat's in love." That only make them laugh even harder, and Eric himself, was shaking with laughter. The goat was still trying to bite Jack. He finally jumped over the fence, getting away from the goat. The goat stood on the other side looking up at Jack. "Jack, I think you hurt the goat's feelings. Look at how sad she is." As if they couldn't laugh any harder, they did. Jack just shook his head at them. Irina got up off her knees.

"I think, I'll just go and buy some more food for the goats."

"I need to go to the restroom, after all this laughing. Wait up." Eric followed Irina, and then they went their separate ways. When Irina had bought the food she stood looking at everyone over by the goats. She was smiling broadly and had had a wonderful day. She couldn't remember when she'd had this much fun. An elderly British woman walked up to her.

"It seems like you had a lot of fun with the goats." Irina turned to face the woman, giving her a warm smile.

"Yes, we certainly did."

"I take it they're your family? It's just that most of you look so much alike. Oh I'm sorry. I don't mean to be nosy. I'm here with my own family, and I always enjoy places like these, where other families are having so much fun."

"No, it's okay. Yes, the two oldest girls, and the triplets are all my children. The young man, holding the little girl, is engaged to my oldest daughter, and that's my grandchild, he's holding. The other young man is dating my other daughter, and the man, who was bitten by the goat, is my husband." The woman looked at Irina surprised.

"The triplets are your children?" Irina nodded smiling warmly. "I thought they were your grandchildren. It's just you seem a little old to be having such young children." The elderly woman suddenly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. You don't look that old, but still." Irina gave her a sincere smile.

"Don't apologize. Yes, I am a little old to be having such young children. My husband and I were scared when we realized we were having children at our age. But were happy nonetheless, and they've brought us so much joy."

"Well that's just wonderful to hear. You two must be very much in love." Irina smile grew even wider.

"Oh yes, we are. So very much."

"That is so lovely to hear. I lost my own husband three years ago, and I always love hearing how in love other people are." The woman turned when someone called out her name. "That's my son calling. I should be going. It was lovely talking to you."

"You too." They smiled warmly at each other before the woman left.

Irina's smiled faded when she turned to look at everyone over by the goats. She wished, she hadn't had to lie to the woman about her relationship with Jack. If it was only the truth. It was for her, but she knew Jack didn't feel the same way. Sighing deeply, she put on her smile and walked over to everyone else.

What Irina didn't know, was that Eric had overhead the entire conversation. He had also seen the expression on her face when she had talked to the woman, and again when she'd looked over at everyone after the woman left. He would love nothing more than to see Jack and Irina together. Sighing deeply himself, he went over and joined the others.

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When they came back to the house, they started on dinner. They all talked about the day, and naturally they all teased Jack. He wasn't mad, but kept shaking his head at them, saying that it wasn't funny. The evening went by fast, and it was bedtime for the triplets.

"Mommy, can you and daddy both tuck us in again tonight?" Irina looked at Jack, who looked at the children.

"Sure." She was glad that he had answered himself so quickly, and she was glad to see how thrilled the triplets were about that too.

They went around saying goodnight to everyone, before heading upstairs with their parents. Once under the covers, Irina sat down on the same side of their bed as yesterday. Jack was on the opposite side, like yesterday.

"So, which one of us should read you a story tonight?" The triplets looked at each other, and then turned to their father.

"Daddy, is it okay if mommy reads us a story tonight?" He smiled at them affectionately.

"Of course." Both he and Irina were happy to see the kids smiling. They picked a story for her to read, and when it was over, they both stayed until they were asleep. Once again Jack was the first to leave. Irina saw he went to the kitchen, and she followed him there. He poured himself a glass of water, and could feel that she was there.

"Jack?" He didn't answer her or look at her. "Jack please. I am so sorry. Please believe that." He finished his water, putting the glass on the counter, and walked passed her. "Jack, have the CIA found a house for me to live in, or do I need to get one on my own?" He stopped when he reached the door. He didn't turn around to look at her, but he did speak to her. Though, his voice didn't hold any warmth.

"On your own. Since you can afford this place and with the money you make off of your restaurant, then it shouldn't be a problem for you to buy one yourself. The CIA will provide accommodation for you, until you find a house. But you might as well start looking for one now." She swallowed hard before answering him.

"Okay. Thank you." With that said he left, and a single tear escaped from her eye.

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They had all been spending the evening together in the living room, but Jack had gone to bed an hour earlier than the others. Three hours after going to bed, Irina woke up and when she couldn't fall back to sleep after half an hour, she got up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice.

When she got there, she found Jack in the kitchen drinking a glass of orange juice. He was looking in the photo album with the pictures of the triplets' christening. She stopped for a moment, not really wanting to bother him, but decided to get herself that glass of juice.

"Hi Jack. You couldn't sleep either?" He didn't answer her, but kept flipping through the pictures. She walked over to the fridge, got out the orange juice and a glass from then cabinet. She kept her voice light and sincere. "I felt like orange juice too. Do you want some more?" He still didn't answer her, so she decided to put the juice back in the fridge. "I'll leave you alone. I just came for the juice." When she walked passed him, she noticed the pictures he was looking at, and saw that he ran his finger over the triplets' names, which were written underneath the pictures. "Jack, I hope it doesn't bother you that I named the triplets after your mother, aunt, and grandfather. I couldn't think of any better names to name them. We had also talked about those names years ago, so it was only fitting. But I also named them after your family, because they meant so much to you, and they meant a lot to me too. Jack, I want you to know how much I loved your mother and aunt. I truly did. Being away from my own family, my own mother in particular, your family was of great comfort to me. Your mother was like a second mother to me, and not because she was my mother-in-law, but because of the way she was. She was loving and caring, and she raised one incredible son. Please know that I didn't give the triplets those names to hurt you. I gave them those names to honor your family." Jack swallowed once, and waited a few seconds before looking up.

"Thank you." Irina couldn't really believe that he was actually talking to her, and how sincere and soft he spoke. They kept their eyes locked on each other for a while longer, but were startled when Nadia walked in. She was surprised to find them both there, and thought she'd just caught a glimpse of them actually looking friendly at each other. Or rather her father, looking friendly at her mother.

"Uh, hi."

"Hi sweetheart." Irina smiled at her daughter, while Jack finished the rest of his juice. He put the glass in the sink, and grabbed the photo album.

"Goodnight." He gave Irina a quick nod, and Nadia a small smile, and then went back to bed. Nadia looked in his direction and then back at her mother.

"Mom, did I just interrupt something?" Irina smiled a little at her daughter.

"No, nothing sweetheart. I just came down for a glass of juice, and found your father down here, so…." She trailed off, and gave Nadia another little smile. "Couldn't sleep?" Nadia looked at her mother before replying, wanting to see if her mother gave anything away. If she indeed had interrupted her parents, when she shouldn't.

"I was just thirsty."

"What would you like to drink?"

"Apple juice, thanks." Irina got her the apple juice, and gave her a sincere smile. But Nadia still wasn't convinced about not having interrupted something between her parents.

When she got in bed, Eric snuggled up next to her.

"That took you long enough. I missed you." Nadia couldn't help but smile at his comment.

"Sorry about that. I was talking to mom in the kitchen. She and dad were there, when I got there. And I think, I interrupted something between them. It looked like dad was actually being friendly towards her. Mom said, I didn't interrupt them, but I can't help feeling that I did." She shook her head. "I could of course be wrong. It's late, and I was tired when I entered the kitchen. It's probably just wishful thinking." She sighed deeply, and Eric snuggled closer to her, kissing her cheek. She snuggled into his embrace, and it didn't take them long to fall asleep.

**TBC**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Irina opened her eyes slightly early the next morning.

"Good morning Ethan. Good morning Caitie."

"You forgot to say good morning to Fluffy, mommy." Caitie giggled, putting the teddy bear all the way up in Irina's face. She smiled, taking the bear, and opening her eyes fully.

"Sorry, Fluffy. I didn't see you there. Good morning." She gave the teddy bear a kiss and handed it back to Caitie giving her and Ethan a kiss.

"Mommy?"

"Yes sweetheart." Irina looked at Caitie.

"Can we have a girly day today, just all us girls?"

"Yeah mommy, then me, daddy, Michael, and Eric can do something together."

"Well, if everyone else is onboard with that, then I don't see any problem with that." They both giggled and snuggled closer to their mother.

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When Jack and Maddie got out of bed, Ethan came into Jack's bedroom already clothed.

"Morning daddy." He went straight to Jack to get a hug and a kiss, which he got.

"Good morning sweetheart."

"Daddy, can we have a guys day today, just me, you, Michael, and Eric? Caitie suggested the girls had a girly day, and I thought we could have a guy day." Jack smiled at his son.

"I think that's a fine idea."

"Yeah." Ethan jumped up and down, and Jack couldn't help but laugh. Maddie started to giggle.

"We're really having a girly day?"

"Yes sweetheart, it would seem so." She started to jump up and down too, and Jack laughed more. "Okay you, we better get you dressed." He turned back around and looked at Ethan. "Are mommy and Caitie downstairs?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to go down to them, or come with Maddie and me?"

"You and Maddie."

"Okay. Let's go." He held a hand out for both Ethan and Maddie, and they went to get Maddie dressed.

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When they came downstairs everyone else was in the kitchen.

"Morning all." Jack looked around at everyone, giving a nod and a smile. Caitie ran up to him to get her hug and kiss, and Maddie ran over to her mother, to get her hug and kiss.

"Morning daddy. Did you hear that we're having a girly day?"

"Yes, I did. And your brother told me that us guys are having a guy day." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other, then at Jack, then back at each other, and then back at Jack again.

"So, the four of us are spending the day together? Just you, me, Weiss, and Ethan?"

"Yes, Vaughn. Will that be a problem?" Vaughn looked at him, then at Sydney, who couldn't help but grin a little, and then he looked back at Jack.

"No, of course not. I'm looking forward to it." He gave Jack a smile, and got a nod in return with a half smile.

"It sounds like fun spending the day together just us girls. And I'm sure you boys are going to have a great time." Sydney couldn't help but grin, and she only grinned a little more when Vaughn rolled his eyes at her.

When Jack, Irina, and the triplets brought some of the breakfast outside Vaughn and Eric walked over to Sydney and Nadia, who were standing by the sink.

"We're spending the day with your father?"

"And our brother." Both Sydney and Nadia grinned at Vaughn's and Eric's expression.

"What's the big deal? You walked around with him and Ethan the other day."

"Yeah, but that was just for a little while. This will be the whole day."

"So? You both worked with him to get our mother her pardon." They both nodded. "Besides he's changed. You've seen him with Isabelle and now with the triplets. I'm sure he'll be quite pleasant to you both, and that you'll all have a wonderful day." Sydney gave Vaughn a kiss, and Nadia gave Eric a kiss before they walked outside with the coffee and juice. The guys stood back and looked at each other.

"Well, I guess it can't be all that bad, right? Vaughn, please tell me it won't be that bad."

"I sure hope not." They took one last look at each other, before going outside to join the others for breakfast.

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During breakfast they were all talking back and forth about what to do.

"So, what would you girls like to do today?" Irina looked around at her daughters.

"Shopping. Girls go shopping, mommy." They all laughed at Maddie's comment.

"Okay. Shopping sounds fun." Everyone else nodded.

"What about us boys, daddy?"

"I don't know. What would you like to do?" Jack, Vaughn, and Eric all looked at Ethan, as did everyone else.

"We could go to the Planetarium. We've been there with uncle Sergei a few times. It's a lot of fun, daddy." Jack smiled at his son.

"The Planetarium it is then. It would've been nice if your uncle could've come." Vaughn and Eric looked briefly at each other thinking the same thing. "But since he's not home yet, you can be our tour guide." He kissed the top of his son's head, who smiled broadly.

"When will Sergei be home, mom?"

"Tomorrow, Sydney. Sometime in the late afternoon, I believe. I thought we could have a barbecue, and all go to the store tomorrow to get what we need."

"That's sounds like a good idea. It'll be great to hear about his trip." Everyone nodded, and Irina noticed that even Jack nodded.

They finished with breakfast and got ready to leave. The girls were set to leave first, and the boys were outside saying their goodbyes. Jack gave Maddie and Caitie a hug and a kiss goodbye and smiled around at everyone else.

"You girls have a great time."

They all smiled back at him, and Sydney said goodbye to Vaughn, and Nadia said goodbye to Eric before they were off. After the girls had left and Ethan walked to the car to wait for his father, Vaughn, and Eric, the three of them looked at each other. Eric let out a little grin.

"So, Jack. Will you be going to the Planetarium as our boss, or as the father of my girlfriend and Vaughn's fiancée?" Both Vaughn and Eric grinned. Jack put on his Bristow smirk and raised an eye brow.

"Whatever you think is worse." They both stopped grinning and had to swallow. Jack walked to the car grinning to himself. Vaughn and Eric looked at each other.

"Oh, this is just bound to be a fun trip." Vaughn said sarcastically to Eric, who nodded before they both walked to the car.

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The boys did end up having quite a pleasant trip, and arrived home a little earlier than the girls.

When the girls arrived home, they had their hands full of shopping bags.

"Did a _little_ shopping, did we?" Eric couldn't help but stare wide eyed at all the bags, and Vaughn did too.

"Yeah. There were just so many great things. Did you have a nice time with dad?"

"Yes, we actually did. And your brother was a great tour guide." Nadia smiled at Eric and gave him a kiss.

"I'm glad."

They made dinner while talking about their day. Everyone had had a great time, and they kept talking about their day throughout dinner and until it was time for the triplets to go to bed. Irina stood up.

"Bedtime, kids."

Jack stood up as well, and the triplets couldn't help but smile. Neither could anyone else. Irina was glad too that the triplets didn't need to ask if both of them could tuck them in.

Jack was the one, who read them a story tonight, and after sitting watching them sleep for a while, he walked out of their room, with Irina following him as usual.

They went back to the living room and joined the others. Jack picked up one of the photo albums, while the rest of them sat around talking for a while.

Two hours after Jack and Irina had joined the others, and with no one having really said much for the last half hour, Eric looked around at everyone. He thought he might as well take a chance. Jack could always yell at him later. He stood up and everyone looked at him.

"I can't believe we've been here for a week, and we haven't even been out for a night out on the town yet." They all looked at him curiously. "It's a beautiful night, so what do you say to heading to a night club?"

They all looked around at each other, and Eric purposely avoided looking at Jack. Though, from the corner of his eye, he could tell that Jack looked equally curious.

"Weiss, I don't really know about that."

"Oh, come on Vaughn. Live a little. We'll have a great time."

"Honey, I'm not so sure about that either. I don't really feel like going to a night club."

"It'll be fun, I promise. I really feel like taking you dancing." She couldn't help but smile at that.

"Eric, it's nice of you to suggest that, but I don't really feel like going either." Eric turned to Irina.

"I'm sorry, Irina, I meant that it would only be Nadia, Sydney, Vaughn, and me, who would be going. Don't get me wrong. You and Jack are awesome and all, but let's be realistic. No kid wants to go clubbing with the folks. Besides, someone has to stay home with the triplets and Isabelle."

"Isabelle. Eric, Vaughn and I can't just leave Isabelle."

"No that's okay, sweetheart. If you all want to go, then your father and I can take care of Isabelle."

"Are you sure, mom?"

"Of course. You go and have a great time." They all looked around at each other shrugging.

"Okay. Well, I guess we're going clubbing. But we should probably change first."

"Nonsense. You all look great." Nadia, Sydney, and Vaughn all looked down at themselves and then back at Eric, who nodded.

"Uh, well okay."

"Great. Now let's go. Don't wait up. Bye." Eric practically pushed them out of the living room and they could really only wave at their parents. Once they were in the car Nadia looked at Eric.

"Why do you all of a sudden want to go clubbing?"

"I don't."

"You don't?" Eric shook his head, and everyone looked at him oddly. "Then why are we going?"

"Because, your parents need to talk. You said yourself that your father looked nicely at your mother last night, when you saw them in the kitchen."

"Dad did that?" Sydney was surprised to hear that.

"It looked like it, but I'm not sure. I was tired when I entered the kitchen. I could've been mistaken." Eric picked up her hand and kissed it.

"Either way, they need to talk." They all nodded.

"So, Weiss, if you don't want to go clubbing either, then just where are we going?"

"I don't know Vaughn, but we could go somewhere and get a drink or a cup of coffee, and then stay away for a couple of hours."

"Sure that's sounds like a good idea."

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Back at the house Jack and Irina had only briefly looked at each other when the others had left. Jack then returned to looking in the photo album, and Irina picked up the book, she had been reading when they arrived the other day.

After a while Jack closed the photo album and sat there quietly looking around the room for a while. Then he looked over at Irina.

"Would it be alright if I went to the library and got a book?" She looked up at him and smiled.

"Of course. You don't have to ask about that." He gave her a nod, and left.

He thought, he'd just go and look in on the triplets and Isabelle before getting a book. Isabelle was sleeping soundly, but when he went to the triplets' bedroom he saw that Caitie was awake, looking around searching for something. He walked over to her and whispered, so as not to wake the others.

"Hi sweetheart. You can't sleep?"

"Hi daddy. No, I can't find Fluffy."

"Fluffy? Oh, your bear." She nodded. He turned on the night lamp, looked around but couldn't find it either. "Do you remember where you had it last?"

"I think, I left it in mommy's room." She was about to get up, but when Jack saw that Ethan started to stir, he stopped her.

"Why don't you stay here, and I'll get your bear. We don't want to wake up your siblings." She nodded and he turned off the lamp. He didn't really want to go into Irina's room, seeing as he had no right to be there. But he also didn't want Ethan and Maddie to wake up. He opened the door to Irina's bedroom and turned on the lights. He noticed the bear right away on the bed and went to get it. When he turned around to leave, he noticed the picture on her nightstand and stood dead in his tracks. He picked it up and recognized it immediately. He was shocked to see it. Realizing he had to get the bear back to Caitie, before she came looking for it herself, he left the bedroom. "Here you go sweetheart." He gave Caitie the bear and a kiss.

"Thank you daddy."

It didn't take her long to fall back to sleep. Jack stayed for a few seconds after that, and then went back to Irina's bedroom to look at the picture. He sat down on her bed and picked up the picture. It had always been one of his favorite pictures of them, taking at one of their favorite places. The cave at the beach. Their cave. In the picture he was looking into the camera, while Irina was looking at him. He had always told her that the look in her eyes spoke volumes of her love for him, and she had always said yes, and that he should always remember how much she loved him. Not knowing what to think of her having this picture, he knew that he might finally get the answer to the question that was always on his mind. He grabbed the picture, turned off the lights and went down to the living room.

Irina noticed him when he came in, but didn't look up from her book.

"Did you find a good book? Jack?" There was silence for a moment, and when he hadn't answered her, she didn't bother to look at him, even though she could feel him standing near her.

"Why do you have this?"

She looked up when he finally spoke to her, and her eyes grew wide, when she saw the picture that he was holding in his hand.

**TBC**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

She kept staring wide eyed at the picture too shocked to speak.

"Irina, I asked you a question. Why do you have this?" He held it out by arm's length, and she snapped out of her shock a little.

"Jack, give me that picture." She stood up, leaving the book on the seat of the chair, but still had her coffee mug in her hand. She reached out for the picture, but Jack pulled his arm back.

"No, not until you tell me why you have this picture."

"That's none of your business. Now give me the picture."

"None of my business? How can it not be my business? Just answer the question." Jack started to get angry and so did Irina.

"That picture was in my bedroom. Feel free to walk around in every other room in the house, but my bedroom is off limits. You had no right being in there. Now give me the picture." She could feel tears starting to form in her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling.

"I went to check on the kids, and Caitie was missing her teddy bear. She left it in your room, and I went to get it, so she wouldn't wake up the others. That's why I was in your room. Now tell me why you have this." They were both getting angrier.

"No. Give me the picture."

"I deserve an explanation as to why you have this picture. Now start explaining." Now Jack was yelling and she yelled right back at him.

"Get it through your thick head that I'm not going to tell you that. The picture was in my bedroom, and I do not need to explain my personal belongings to you. Give me the picture, Jack."

"No, damn it. Not until you tell me why you have it."

"I just told you again that I'm going to tell you that, so give me the picture. Give me the picture, Jack." It started to get more difficult to keep the tears away. Her eyes started to get a little wet.

"No, Irina. Not until you tell me why you have the picture. I'm in it. I want to know why you have. Tell me now. Why do you have it? Why? Why? Why damn it.?" He was yelling more and more, and she finally lost it. The tears fell freely from her eyes, and she let go of her emotions, yelling right back at him.

"Because, I love you, Jack. I love you. I've loved you, since the first time I told you, I loved you. The first time we met wasn't a setup by the KGB. It wasn't until a few months later that they told me, they picked you as my mark. The first few months of our relationship were real. When you asked me to marry you, I said yes, not Laura. I wanted to marry you, not because I had to, but because I loved you. I had Sydney, because I wanted her. I wanted to have children with you. The KGB didn't want me to have her, but I fought to keep her. I stole government secrets from you, because it was my job. In the beginning it was easy, because I focused on it being my job. But it became harder and harder to convince myself that it was my job. For the last couple of years while I was Laura, I gave them useless reports on what you were working on. Things that you had thrown away months ago. I couldn't steal from you anymore, because I loved you too much. My life as Laura became reality to me. Everything in my life as her was real, with a few exceptions, like my name. It was the life I wanted. You were what I wanted. I thought about telling you the truth so many times, but the KGB had a feeling my loyalties were shifting, and they threatened to kill you and Sydney. I took their threats seriously. No matter how much you could've protected me, I knew that the KGB would have ways of finding us. They would've killed us all. They wanted me to leave years before I was finally extracted, but I convinced them that you would be working on more important things that would be of value to them. But my extraction was inevitable. I tried my best to stall again, but when they told me of the ways they would kill you and Sydney if I didn't return to Russia, I left. When I got back they threw me in jail for treason, where I went through hell. I was punished for loving you. I wanted to come home to you years later, when I was no longer part of the KGB, but I didn't think you would take me back, so I turned to Rambaldi for comfort. My life didn't make any sense anymore, and Rambaldi was the only thing that made sense at that time. That and crime. I thought that was the only thing I was good for. During our marriage I sent pictures home to my mother secretly. I wanted her to see pictures of my husband and daughter, the two people I loved more than anything else in the world. That's why I have that picture." She pointed to the picture, and took a few seconds to breathe, but she was still yelling. "I loved you Jack, and if I truly hadn't, you would have known. You would've figured it out. And I still love you. More than you could possibly realize. I love you. But what's the point in telling you all of this, when you obviously don't love me?"

She stormed towards the door crying her eyes out. She couldn't bear to be in the room any longer. She needed to breathe.

Jack had stood completely frozen in shock from the moment she'd said that she loved him. When she was almost at the door he spun around quickly.

"But I do. I do." She stopped dead in her tracks. The mug fell out of her hand and shattered on the floor. She stood still for a long time before turning around. When she did, she saw that Jack's own tears were falling freely from his eyes. He wasn't yelling anymore but spoke softly. "I love you, Irina." She gasped a little. "When I was told who you were, I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe that you never loved me, and that it was all a lie. But in the end I was convinced, and then I hated you. Loathed you. I couldn't believe how you could've pretended to love me and Sydney for so long, when your feelings seemed so real. You broke me, and I lost my soul. I shut everyone out of my life, including Sydney. I thought, I was doing her a favor, by having her hate me. Because that way, I wouldn't have to talk about you, with her. I wouldn't need to re-live the memories that were too painful. Only when I was alone did I allow myself to think of you. At times I did it, because I wanted to believe that what we had was real, but most times I did it as a punishment to myself for being so stupid and foolish. But I also couldn't let you go, which is why I kept all your things. Then when you turned yourself in, I couldn't believe that you were alive. A part of me was happy that you were, but another part of me wanted to kill you. And I almost did, when I set you up in Madagascar. The more time we spent together, the more I started slowly to believe that maybe our life together hadn't been a lie. But I also hated myself, because I slowly started to realize that it was you I loved and wanted and not Laura. But then you left me again in Panama. When we worked together to find Sydney's killers, you told me that you left to stop Sloane, but you never said that you wished you could've stayed with me, so I started to have doubts again. Though, I felt that we were getting closer during that year. But when I thought you were capable of putting a hit out on Sydney, I knew that I had been fooled to believe that you cared about any of us. That's why I was so quick to pull the trigger. In that moment my judgment was clouded with hatred, and the memories of your constant betrayal. But I should've known that you really loved Sydney, because you were so broken when we search for answers to her death. Then in Sovogda when you kissed me, I thought that you might have feelings for me after all, but with your unwillingness to tell me the truth about anything during the time we worked together to finally stop Rambaldi, I didn't think you loved me. And I had doubts when we came here, because you never told me about the triplets. But despite your betrayal, my hatred for you, all the hurt, my broken heart and soul, I still love you. I've been in love with you for more than thirty years and that's never going to change. I love you, Irina."

She kept staring wide eyed at him, while the tears ran down her cheeks. It took her a while before she could say anything.

"You…you…love me?" For the first time in a long time a genuine smile spread across Jack's face.

"Yes, I love you." She smiled back at him.

They slowly started walking towards each other, but in no time they quickened their pace and threw their arms around each other, hugging each other tightly for dear life, and letting the tears run freely.

"I love you too, Jack. I love you so much." They hugged each other for a while longer before resting their foreheads against each other.

"I thought you didn't."

"And I thought you didn't. When you told me that I would check in with you, when you came to drop off or pick up the triplets, I thought I didn't have a chance. And I thought it was definitely over, when you told me I should start looking for a house. I wanted to hear you tell me that you wanted me to live with you."

"I told you those things, so that you would tell me how you felt about me. I thought you'd open up about your feelings and tell me that you loved me. Or that you didn't. Either way, I thought it would get you to tell me how you felt, so I would finally know the answer to that question." They opened their eyes and just stood looking at each other for a while, before they both grinned a little.

"We really are stupid, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we really are." They grinned a little more, and then stood looking in each others eyes. And there it was. Love. They'd both been afraid of looking too deeply into each others eyes for the past years, afraid they wouldn't find the love for the other there. But now they could see that it shone stronger than any star in the sky. They smiled and then they kissed. It was sweet and passionate, and after a while they needed to breathe. "Did you mean what you said about our first meeting not being a setup?"

"Yes Jack. That wasn't planned. I'll tell you everything more detailed, and I'll tell you everything now if you want." She started to drag him towards the couch, but he stopped her.

"Tell me tomorrow. Right now I only want you. I need you."

They could both see the need and want for each other, and once again their lips found each other. It was passionately again, but also more hungrily and lustful. It had been too long. They lost control and started walking allover the living room. They fell over the coffee table and two of the mugs fell down and shattered. Jack broke the kiss and looked down.

"Leave it. We'll get it tomorrow." Irina crashed her lips on Jack's again and they got off of the table. They twirled around and in their passion, crashing into the shelf, and they knocked down a vase. Jack broke the kiss again and looked at it. "Not important. Leave it too." He grinned at her, and they continued kissing without looking where they were going. They managed to knock over a figurine, and Jack broke the kiss again, but this time looked into Irina's eyes.

"Leave that too?"

"Yeah, exactly." They laughed, continued kissing, breaking a few more things on the way and eventually making it to her bedroom.

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Two hours later Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric came back. They walked quietly inside, and went to the living room when they saw the lights were still on. They stopped dead still when they saw all the broken glass.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no." Sydney was shaking her head, and put her head in her hands.

"No, no. Your plan backfired, Eric." Nadia shook her head too, and tears started to form in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea it would turn out this badly. I honestly believed it was for the best to leave them alone. Honey, I'm so sorry. Syd, I'm so sorry." Eric wrapped his arms around Nadia.

"I know Eric, but your plan still backfired. We should never have left." Sydney started to cry a little too, and Vaughn walked over to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I truly am."

"We need to find mom and dad. Make sure they're alright. Syd, why don't you and Vaughn go find dad? Then Eric and I will find mom."

"Yeah that's a good idea."

"Hang on. I think it's best if you look for your parents yourself. Weiss and I would just be crowding them. We can clean up down here. That's the least we can do, since Weiss' plan backfired."

"We really need all the support, we can get. Maybe you can help knocking some sense into them." Vaughn and Eric looked at each other.

"Sure. We'll go with you. Where should we start?"

"Well, they weren't in the kitchen, so maybe we should just start by looking in their bedrooms." They all nodded and headed upstairs.

When they came up the stairs they suddenly heard a scream coming from Irina's bedroom. They all looked around at each other, panicked.

"Syd, dad wouldn't hurt mom. I know they've been yelling, but he wouldn't hurt her."

"I know, and I won't believe it, but the screa…."

They heard Irina scream again, and without hesitation they all ran for her bedroom, burst threw the double doors, and then stopped dead in their tracks, staring wide eyed at the sight in front of them. They screams they'd heard were not screams of pain, but screams of pleasure. They found Jack and Irina naked. Jack was sitting up in the middle of the bed, with Irina on top of him, his mouth sucking on her left breast, his one arm around her waist, his other hand on her butt, with her one hand in his hair, and the other one on his shoulder.

Jack and Irina turned to look when the doors flew open, and they too stared wide eyed at their intruders. Jack quickly held Irina tight, covering her with his body, before he turned them over, so they were on their sides, with his back to the door. He threw the covers over them quickly, while the others quickly turned around, and Eric had a hard time controlling his laughter.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

"Sorry dad, but we heard mom screaming."

"And what? You thought I was hurting her?"

"No. But we really didn't know what to think. We panicked." Irina was on cloud nine from her lovemaking with Jack that she couldn't help but smile and be happy.

"Aaaww, isn't that sweet. Thank you girls for caring. You too boys. But your father wasn't hurting me. On the contrary."

"Irina." Jack groaned.

"Mom, please stop."

"You've established that I wasn't hurting your mother, so leave. Right now."

Sydney, Nadia, and Vaughn left the bedroom quickly, while Eric closed the doors. When he only needed to close the last door, he stuck his head through a little bit, but without looking at them.

"You might want to lock the door behind me. I don't think you want the triplets to find you this way."

"Out." Jack yelled at him, but Eric couldn't help but laugh.

He stood outside the room, until he heard the door being locked. He laughed to himself all the way down to the living room, where he found the others. Sydney and Nadia were covering their eyes with their hands, while Vaughn was running a hand up and down Sydney's back.

"And you all said my plan backfired." He started to laugh uncontrollably and he got evil stares from both Sydney and Nadia.

"Not another word, Eric."

"Oh come on, honey. You wanted your parents together, and now it clearly seems that they are. You have to admit that they were very connected." He laughed even more and Sydney and Nadia shook their heads at him.

"One more word and you'll be sleeping on the couch." Eric looked over at Vaughn, and Vaughn gave him a smirk.

"Okay, I promise. Not another word."

After a few seconds of silence Vaughn spoke.

"You know, Nadia, Eric doesn't have to sleep on the couch. There's still one more guestroom, and there's Sergei's room. And even if those rooms didn't exist, then he could just sleep in your father's room, because I don't think he'll be needing it tonight." Both Vaughn and Eric burst out laughing, and Sydney stared wide eyed at Vaughn.

"Not you too. Just stop it. It's not fun."

"No, not as much fun as your parents are having." Sydney and Nadia got up from their seats.

"Instead of laughing, why don't you do something useful and clean up in here."

"Why should we clean up? Your parents made the mess. Of course they're a little busy right now to clean up, but still." They laughed even harder, and Sydney and Nadia left the room, not wanting to hear any more comments from Vaughn and Eric.

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Upstairs in Irina's bedroom, Jack had put a pillow over his face, when Irina went to lock the door. He still had his head under the pillow.

"Are you ever going to come up from under there?" Irina couldn't help but be very amused.

"No, I'm not. Not now, not ever."

"Not even to give me a kiss?" He removed the pillow and raised his head.

"Irina, our eldest daughters walked in on…..they saw me with my…..Vaughn and Eric saw…..oh god." He put the pillow over his head once again and groaned out loud. "You can't possibly be happy with that?" She started kissing him on his chest.

"No, not really. I was quite happy before they walked in, and I would like to be that happy again." She removed the pillow from his face and smiled down at him. "Why don't we just forget about them and concentrate on each other?"

He smiled back at her, then pulled her down and kissed her, with the little interruption soon forgotten. Until the morning at least.

**TBC**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Having met the triplets one morning going to the bathroom, Eric had a feeling on when they would be getting up, and got up and waited for them in the hall.

"Good morning, kids."

"Good morning, Eric." Eric put his arms out to the triplets and they went to give him a hug.

"What do you say, to letting your parents sleep in this morning, and come snuggle with Nadia and me?" The triplets looked around at each other and then back at Eric.

"That sounds like fun. But shouldn't we tell mommy and daddy?"

"Well, if we told them, then we would wake them anyway. No point in doing that. You can tell them later that you snuggled with us. They'll understand." The triplets smiled broadly and walked happily with Eric into his bedroom.

Nadia was still sleeping, but woke up when the triplets crawled under the covers. She was still a little sleepy.

"What's going on? Eric?"

"Morning, Nadia." Maddie crawled up to her sister and gave her a kiss.

"Good morning, Nadia." Ethan was the next to give her a kiss, and then Caitie gave her one.

"Morning, Nadia."

"Well, good morning to you too. What are you doing in here this early?"

"Eric said we could snuggle with you."

"He said that we should let mommy and daddy sleep in."

"Is it okay if we snuggle with you?"

"Of course it is." She looked up at Eric. He shook his head, indicating that he hadn't told the triplets anything about their parents. She nodded at him and then turned to her siblings smiling. "I'm glad you came and snuggled with us." They giggled at her and Eric got back into bed.

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A few hours later Jack woke up to Irina running her fingers through his hair. He had his arms wrapped around her, and her other free arm was on his chest. He opened his eyes a little a found her smiling at him.

"Morning."

"Morning to you too. What time is it?" Irina turned to look at the clock then looked back at Jack.

"Almost 8.30." He was suddenly wide awake.

"It's nearly 8.30?" She nodded. "The triplets. They would be up by now." He sat up and looked around the room, and Irina couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I locked the door remember?" He looked back at her and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, how could I forget." He lay back down. "I didn't hear them at the door. Did you?"

"No, I didn't. Maybe they went to their playroom, when they couldn't find you either, or to Sydney's or Nadia's room." He closed his eyes shut and groaned.

"God, what they must have thought, when they got into my room and I wasn't there. I don't know how to explain it to them."

"Then maybe we don't explain." Jack turned to look at Irina dumbfounded.

"What? I think it's a pretty important fact to tell them that their parents are back together." He started to worry when he saw that Irina's eyes were getting a little wet. "We are back together, aren't we?"

"Jack, you said yesterday that I could wait until today to tell you the detailed truth. And I'm going to. The truth has taken long enough. But there are things that happened in my past that I don't know how you'll feel about. If you can't handle them, then I don't want to tell the triplets that we're back together. Yes, I want us to be back together, but I don't want you to make that promise, if you can't handle what I have to say." A few tears fell from her eye and she wiped them away. Jack wrapped his arms around her again, and kissed her head.

"I also told you yesterday that I love you, and that that's not going to change. Whatever you have to tell me, we'll handle it together." She looked up at him drying her last tears.

"Still, would it be alright with you to wait to tell them? I'd feel better, and I wouldn't have to worry about disappointing them. I need the strength to tell you about the past, and I'd like to do that without having too many things to think about throughout the day. So, can we just agree to have a pleasant day, spending time with the triplets at home, enjoying the barbecue, and then hearing about Sergei's trip? I'll tell all of you everything after we put the triplets to bed."

"Of course. We'll wait." He gave her a kiss and then another more passionately kiss. "I just remembered, I hadn't kissed you good morning." She smiled at him and gave him another kiss.

"Maybe we should get up."

"Yeah, though I don't really feel like it." She looked at him oddly. "I have no idea how to look Sydney and Nadia in the eyes, not to mention the guys." She couldn't help but laugh and he just rolled his eyes. "Okay, so we get up. Do you want to use the shower first or should I."

"It'll be quicker if we shower together."

"As far as I remember it never was. We always…let's just say distracted." She shrugged.

"Distracted. Thoroughly clean. Call it what you want." He couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay. Shower together it is." He got out of bed, turning his back to her. "Ow." He rubbed his butt, turned around and stared wide eyed at her. "Did you just bite my butt?" She grinned at him.

"Why should the goat have all the fun? Besides, you never had a problem in the past when I used to bite you on the butt. Or anywhere else for that matter." She wiggled her eyes at him, running to the bathroom, and he ran straight after her.

Nearly forty-five minutes later they got out of the bathroom. Irina went to get her clothes, while Jack suddenly stood still. She turned around to look at him a little confused.

"Jack, what is it?"

"I have nothing to wear. All my clean clothes are in my room."

"Then go and get it."

"I can't walk out into the hall with only a towel wrapped around my waist. After last night, I doubt anyone wants to see that, and I don't feel like running into anyone like this either." She couldn't help but be amused, and Jack gave her a glare. "It's not funny. Besides, if we aren't telling the triplets about us today, then I don't know how to explain coming from your room dressed like this." She nodded.

"Okay. I'll get dressed and then I'll go and get you some clothes."

"Then I'll just sit and enjoy the view." She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile at the smile she was getting.

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After she put her clothes on, she went to get Jack's clothes. She looked out into the hall. The coast was clear, and she left her room with Jack's clothes from yesterday in her hands. She quickly threw them inside, and went to check in the triplets' bedroom. When she couldn't find them there, she checked their playroom. They weren't in there either, and she felt a little relieved not having to explain anything to them right now, like what she would be doing in their father's room. When she walked back to Jack's room, she met Nadia, who just came from her own room.

"Morning, sweetheart." Irina couldn't help but be very amused of how Nadia felt very uncomfortable, and looking anywhere other than at her.

"Uh morning, mom."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, fine thanks."

"Me too." Nadia shut her eyes.

"Stop. Just stop right there. I don't want any details." Irina laughed.

"Okay, no details. Have you seen the triplets?"

"Eric brought them into our room this morning. He had a feeling, when they would get up and waited for them in the hall. So as not to cause any awkwardness, they slept with us."

"Thank you. Did you tell them anything about your father and me?"

"Oh no, mom. That's your job."

"I'm glad, because we won't be telling them anything just yet." Irina's smiled faded a little. Nadia finally looked her mother in the eyes.

"What do you mean mom? Aren't you and dad back together?" She started to get a little worried. "Please don't tell me that last night was just…." She closed her eyes again. "You know what, I'm not going to finish that sentence." She looked at her mother again. "But please tell me that you're back together."

"Yes, I believe your father and I are back together. We told each other last night that we love each other." Nadia smiled at that, and Irina smiled back at her. "But I didn't tell him everything about my life in details. I'll be doing that tonight after we put the triplets to bed. Something happened in my past, and I don't know if he can handle that. And if he can't, then I don't want the triplets to get their hopes up, and then take that away from them, or force your father to be with me. So please don't tell them anything, and if you get the chance, would you please tell Sydney, Michael, and Eric too?" Nadia nodded.

"Of course, mom." Irina nodded back at her. "So, what are you doing out here in the hall? Just came to check on the triplets?"

"Yes that too. But I also came to get some clothes for you father. He didn't really want to walk around in the hall only having a towel wrapped around his waist." Nadia shut her eyes again and groaned. Irina laughed a little and then gave Nadia a kiss on the cheek. "See you downstairs in a little bit."

Then she walked off to find some clothes for Jack.

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When she got back to her bedroom, she told Jack that none of the others had told the triplets about them, and that they'd keep it that way.

"Irina, are you sure about this? I can handle whatever you have to tell me. I love you." She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

"And I love you, Jack. But yes, I'd prefer you to know everything first." He nodded his understanding and gave her a kiss. "So, are you ready to leave?"

"No. I can't look them in the eyes." Irina laughed while he groaned. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry, but it is a little. And I can use all the laughter today that I can get, before tonight." He smiled his understanding again, and gave her another kiss.

"So, do we just act the same way around each other that we've acted the past week, when we're around the triplets, or what?"

"Well, maybe we could talk to each other more, and be a lot friendlier to each other?" He smiled and nodded.

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They walked out of the bedroom together and Jack took her hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled. Just before entering the kitchen they let go of each other. When they walked in, they found Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric there preparing the remainder of the breakfast.

Sydney and Nadia looked away from their parents as they entered the kitchen, and Jack didn't look at anyone either. Vaughn and Eric were highly amused, and Irina could tell. She smiled broadly at everyone.

"Good morning all." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia only said a muttered good morning to everyone, and still tried their best to look anywhere else than at each other.

"Good morning, Irina." Vaughn smiled at Irina and then turned his attention to Jack. "Good morning, Jack. Did you sleep well?" Eric walked up next to Vaughn.

"I think it's quite the opposite, Vaughn. I don't think Jack and Irina slept much at all." Jack groaned, Sydney shook her head, while Nadia shut her eyes once again.

"Oh right. I don't know what I was thinking." Vaughn and Eric both snickered and Irina laughed too.

"I take it the triplets are outside?" Eric nodded at Irina. "Good. Thank you for not telling them. I assume that Nadia has already filled you in on what she and I talked about?" They all nodded. "I don't want them to know anything until after I've told you about my past. Which is why we'll behave somewhat like we've done this previous week." She turned her attention to Sydney and Nadia. "I want you two to hear what I have to say. This includes you too." She then looked at Vaughn and Eric. "You're welcome to be there too. I don't want what I have to say influence the way you might feel about me in anyway." She looked at Vaughn. "I'm not looking for your sympathy or anything, but you're family. So, if you want to hear what I have to say, then you're more than welcome to stay." Both Vaughn and Eric nodded.

"Thank you for including us, and we'll listen." She nodded back. "Oh, and in case you were wondering, Vaughn and I cleaned up after you in the living room. You really left quite a mess." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia felt uncomfortable again, and looked away from each other again.

"I'm going outside." Jack started to walk outside.

"Jack, could you take the bread with you, and Irina could you bring the fruit?" Jack stopped and picked up the bread, and Irina walked over and took the fruit. "We don't trust you with the mugs. This is much safer for you to carry." Eric received a glare from Jack, a smile from Irina, and a slap on the head from Nadia. They all walked to join the triplets outside.

"Morning mommy and daddy." The triplets greeted their parents simultaneously. Jack and Irina smiled at them, and walked around giving them hugs and kisses.

"We're sorry, we didn't come and snuggle with you this morning."

"We met Eric in the hall, and he said we should let you sleep."

"So, we snuggled with him and Nadia. Is that okay?" The triplets all looked between their parents, and they received big smiles.

"Yes, it's absolutely okay. It was very sweet of Eric to ask." Irina looked up at Eric and gave him a smile. He returned it. They ate their breakfast mostly in silence. "Since we're having a barbecue today, what would everyone like to have?" Irina looked around at everyone, who shrugged.

"Ribs are good."

"Steaks are always a good choice."

Eric looked at Jack.

"What about some nice juicy chicken breasts? You like that, don't you, Jack?"

Jack nearly choked taking a sip of his coffee, Sydney dropped her knife on her plate, and Nadia put her head in her hands. Maddie and Caitie looked around at everyone a bit, while Ethan was very excited.

"I like chicken breasts too, daddy." Vaughn couldn't help but snicker.

"Like father, like son." Jack turned pale, and Maddie noticed.

"Are you okay, daddy? You're a bit white in the face." Jack looked at her, trying his best to smile.

"Yes, I'm fine sweetheart. The coffee was just a little warm." He gave her a kiss on the head, and noticed Irina enjoying herself too much for his liking. But he also remembered what she'd said about needing the laughter.

"Why don't we get a little bit of everything, and then we can all have what we like the best?" Everyone nodded and Vaughn and Eric kept snickering, while Jack, Sydney, and Nadia still felt uncomfortable.

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The day was quite pleasant, though for some more than others. Jack still felt uncomfortable around everyone other than Irina and the triplets. Sydney and Nadia still felt uncomfortable around their parents. Vaughn and Eric had kept teasing, but only once in awhile, so they wouldn't make the triplets suspicious of anything. Irina was enjoying herself. She was glad that Vaughn and Eric kept the mood light, and that the triplets seemed like being more and more happy. Her and Jack had talked more to each other during the day than the past week around the triplets, and she figured the triplets could tell that. They'd all gone to the store together, had lunch at home, and then just spent the day around the house, being outside.

It was now late in the afternoon and Sergei came home, walking into the kitchen, and finding Sydney in the middle of getting the triplets something to drink.

"Hi guys." They all looked at him, and the triplets ran towards him immediately, all speaking simultaneously.

"Hi, uncle Sergei." He went down on one knee and held his arms out to them, and then hugging them tightly.

"I've missed you." He looked at them smiling and then at Sydney. They all smiled back.

"We missed you too, uncle Sergei." Sydney walked over to him, and gave him a hug when he stood up.

"Hi Sergei. Welcome back." Sergei turned around when he heard Jack behind him. Eric was with him. Jack reached his hand out to him smiling, and Sergei shook it.

"Hi Jack. Thank you."

Sergei smiled back and then shook Eric's hand after. He noticed that Sydney drew herself away a little when Jack entered the kitchen, and he thought that was a little odd. And even more odd when she excused herself without really looking at Jack.

"I'll just tell the others, you're home."

"Did you have a good trip?"

"Uh, yeah I did. Thank you, Jack." Sergei couldn't quite get over the difference in Jack. He thought, it was because he and Irina had talked. But if that was the case, then he couldn't quite understand Sydney's behavior.

"That's good to hear. We're all outside, you can tell us about it there if you'd like."

"Yeah sure. I'd like that. Let me just go and throw on another shirt, and I'll meet you out there."

"Okay. See you out there in a few minutes." Jack walked out with the triplets following him. Eric was just about to leave, when Sergei stopped him.

"Eric, wait a minute." Eric turned around to face Sergei again. "What's happened here the last week? Jack seems different in a positive way, but Sydney on the other hand seems….I don't know, but a little uncomfortable." Eric laughed a little and then checked to see if anyone could hear him, before telling Sergei about the week.

"Well, Jack pretty much ignored Irina all week. She apologized regarding keeping the triplets a secret, but he wouldn't hear her." Sergei rolled his eyes, not really thrilled to hear that. "Don't worry, it gets better. Finally last night, Nadia, Sydney, Vaughn, and I left them home alone in the evening, so that they could talk. The night before, Nadia thought Jack was coming around a little, when she walked in on her parents in the kitchen in the middle of the night. She thought Jack was friendlier to Irina. Anyway, when we got home last night, we found a lot of broken glass in the living room. We then went to find Jack and Irina. We didn't really know what had happened, but wanted answers. And boy did we get it. We heard Irina screaming a little from her bedroom when we got upstairs. Not knowing what to think we burst through her doors, and found her and Jack naked, doing it." Sergei stared wide eyed at Eric. "And by _it,_ I mean…." Sergei waved his hands in the air, stopping Eric from continuing.

"Yes, thank you, I know what _it_ means. That's my cousin we're talking about, and I don't need the details." Eric laughed.

"Apparently, Jack and Irina had confessed their love for each other, and on their way to the bedroom, they'd knocked over a few things." Sergei shook his head.

"So, everything is alright between them now?"

"Well, not quite." Sergei got a little worried. "No, I mean, yes things are fine, but the triplets don't know yet. Irina doesn't want them to know yet. She'll be telling about her life more detailed tonight after the triplets are in bed, and she thinks that if Jack for some reason can't handle what she has to tell him, then she doesn't want to disappoint the triplets by first promising them something, and then taking it away again. This is Irina's decision, not Jack's. Jack would be more than willing to tell the triplets that their parents are back together, but she wants to wait." Sergei nodded his understanding.

"No wonder Sydney was uncomfortable, since she walked in on her parents." He shook his head, not really wanting to think about it. "I'll keep quiet around the triplets too then. Okay, I'll just go up and change, and then come outside."

"Okay, see you out in a minute."

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A few minutes later Sergei walked outside. He gave Irina a hug, and a warm smile, letting her know how happy he was for her. She returned it, and he went on to say hi to the others he hadn't said hi to yet. He started to talk about his trip, and that went on while they made dinner. At one point he walked into the kitchen where Irina was, making a salad.

"Since we have a minute alone, I thought, I'd tell you how happy I am about you and Jack." She returned the warm, sincere smile she was getting from him. "I can understand your reasons for not telling the triplets, but I've also seen the changes in Jack, within the last two hours. He loves you, Irina, and I doubt he'll turn his back on you."

"Thank you, Sergei. I know that you're probably right, but I have to make sure, and that's why I can't tell the triplets about Jack and me. I don't want to hurt them."

"I know you don't." They were silent for a while. "I'm glad Jack came around. I thought maybe I had to knock some sense into him, if he still hadn't listened by the time I got back." He grinned a little at her, and she looked amused.

"You knock some sense into Jack? No offense, but Jack's a lot stronger than you. He'd beat you up without blinking." Sergei laughed more at that.

"Yeah, I know. So you can see why I'm really glad he came around." They laughed together for a while, before Irina got a little more serious.

"Sergei, I'd like you to be there too, tonight, when I tell everyone about my life."

"I already know a lot. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You won't. But if you don't want to be there, I'll understand."

"No, if you want me there, I'll be there." She gave her a smile, and he walked over to give her a hug.

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Outside Jack was keeping an eye on the meat when Sydney walked up to him. They were both a bit hesitant, still not having come to terms with last night.

"Um hi, dad."

"Hi."

"So, mom's really going to tell everything tonight. How do you feel about that?"

"Just fine. Though, I'm concerned about her being so worried and nervous with what she has to tell me that she feels, she couldn't tell the triplets about us today. I know, I can handle it because I love her." He looked at Sydney. She noticed him looking at her, and for the first time today, they looked each other in the eyes. He smiled. "I love her, Sydney. I always have, and that's never going to change." She smiled back at him.

"That's what was worth listening to, isn't it? That's the only good reason you ever really needed, right? The only thing mom really had to do, was tell you that she loved you, and that she also loved you back then." He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah." She smiled back at him. "But I also wanted her to apologize for keeping the triplets a secret, which she did plenty. But mostly I wanted her to tell me, she loved me."

"I'm happy you were finally able to tell each other."

"Me too." Letting go of last night's embarrassing event, they hugged each other.

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Dinner went great. They talked more about Sergei's trip, and he listened to the triplets eagerly tell about their week. The weather was lovely outside and they stayed out there after dinner. It did start to get a little chilly.

"Mommy, can we have hot cocoa tonight?" Irina smiled over at Caitie.

"Yeah, we can have that. You all stay here, and I'll go and make it." She walked inside, and met Jack in the door, coming from inside. They smiled at each other, and Irina walked inside, while he took his seat. After nearly thirty minutes Eric looked at his watch.

"How long does it take to make hot cocoa?"

"Mommy's cocoa is special. It takes a long time." He smiled at Maddie.

"Well, in that case I look forward to tasting it even more." She grinned back.

Jack looked at Maddie, with a curious look on his face that turned into a little smile. He was wondering if it could be the same kind of cocoa, they'd had together years ago. Five minutes later Irina returned with a tray full of hot cocoa.

They all took a mug. Jack smelled it, tasted it, and then savored it. His thoughts about the cocoa had been right. When Irina had been Laura, his mother had taught her to make her special cocoa. It was a cocoa that took a while to make, one that needed extra care and attention. His mother had told that the secret ingredient was love, and only when that was added, would it have the right flavor, and thickness. He had thought it was a bit silly, and had never had the patience to make it himself. But Laura had always gotten it to taste like the one his mother used to make. He corrected himself. _Irina_ had always gotten it to taste like the one his mother used to make. She had always made it to perfection. A warm smiled spread across his face.

After the cocoa it was bedtime for the triplets. Jack stood up immediately after Irina had told the triplets, and he smiled warmly at them. They smiled too. Vaughn was the last one to say goodnight to them.

"What do you three say to come and snuggle with Sydney and me in the morning, instead of running to your parents' rooms?" They smiled at him and Sydney before turning around to look at Jack and Irina.

"Can we?" Jack smiled at them.

"Of course. It's only fair since you snuggled with Nadia and Eric this morning." They smiled at him, and then said their final goodnight before walking upstairs with their parents. When they got under the covers, Jack smiled at them. "I believe it's your mother's turn to read you a story tonight."

The triplets and Irina all smiled at Jack, and he smiled at Irina. After she had read them a story and they were asleep, she and Jack stayed longer than usual. Finally Irina stood up and held her hand out to him, which he took. Once outside their room, Irina threw her arms around Jack, hugging him tightly.

"If you're not ready to talk, you don't have to. I'm not going anywhere." She looked at him, and smiled a little.

"No Jack. It's time. It might not be easy for me to tell or for you to listen, but it's time." He nodded and kissed her.

"My mother was right after all." She looked at him curiously, not really knowing what he was talking about.

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"The cocoa. She always said that the secret ingredient to her special cocoa was love. She taught you how to make that, on the weekend we went up to tell her, we were getting married. You made the cocoa to perfection then, and you make the cocoa to perfection now. I never believed in the whole love being the secret ingredient thing, but I do now." He smiled at her and kissed her.

"I'd completely forgotten that that was your mother's recipe. It's just like second nature to me to make it that way." She smiled back at him. "But yes. I loved you then, and I love you now." She kissed him soundly on the lips and then they hugged for a while. When they let go of each other, Irina breathed deeply and took Jack by the hand. She wasn't looking forward to telling him about certain parts, but also knew there was no way out. He needed to know. "It's time."

**TBC**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

They walked hand in hand into the living room where everyone else had moved to. Irina sat down in one of the armchairs while Jack took a seat near her on the couch. Sydney was sitting next to him, with Vaughn on her other side. Nadia was sitting on the other couch next to Irina, with Eric next to her, and Sergei next to him. Everyone looked at Irina, waiting for her to start. She took a couple of deep breaths before beginning.

"If you want to ask me anything along the way, feel free to do so. And if things get to be too much for you, you're free to leave."

"Thank you, mom, but we're all here for you." Irina smiled at Nadia, and took a look around everyone else, before she started.

"When I was a child, we didn't have much in our family. I would at a very young age pickpocket, so that Elena, Katya, and I could have little treats in our lives. Sweets. I never had a care in the world. I wanted to have a good life, and I wanted to have that any way I could, even if that meant to steal a little money from people. I had loving parents. My father could be a bit strict at times, but he loved his girls and was caring. My mother was kind, loving, caring. She had a big heart filled with love." Irina paused for a moment, thinking about her mother. A warm smile spread across her face at the memory. "I had a good relationship with my sisters at an early age, but then my relationship with Elena changed. She became distant and estranged. Evil. She started to push Katya and me around. She didn't like that I was so carefree. My parents also let me get away with more, probably because I was the baby of the family. The KGB saw an interest in me at an early age, and she didn't like that either. One day she pushed me down the stairs without any explanation. I broke my leg and my arm. She just stood there laughing at me, and then she got this murderous, possessed look in her eyes, and told me that if I ever told anyone about what she just did, she'd kill me. I thought, she'd be capable of doing that, so I never told anyone." Everyone was a bit shocked to hear that.

"Is that why you said to Elena, when you hit her in Sovogda that you'd been wanting to do that since you were eleven?" Irina nodded at Sydney's question. "Well, who could blame you." Irina laughed a little before going on.

"As I got older, the KGB became more and more interested in me. They were actually interested in all three of us. Elena had joined years before, but Katya didn't want to be a part of it. I on the other hand, thought it would be a great opportunity for me to make something of myself, so I joined. They were all very pleased with my results, and I did so much better than everyone else. My father was prouder of me than he'd ever been, and my mother was also happy for me. She'd hoped that I wouldn't join, but with the times being the way that they were, she recognized that it would be the best thing for me. Years later I had excelled so much and was one of their best assets that they wanted to send me on an important mission. They told me that if I succeeded, mother Russia would be proud of me. They told me everything I wanted to hear, and I proudly accepted. The assignment, as you already know, was to seduce, marry, and steal secrets from a CIA agent." They all nodded and took a look at Jack, who was looking at Irina. "They wanted me to get familiar with the everyday life of a typical American. They wanted me to blend in as much as possible, so they sent me to university six months before they gave me the name of the man I was supposed to marry." Everyone but Jack and Sergei looked at Irina oddly.

"Wait a minute, mom. You didn't know that dad was your mark, when you came here?" Irina smiled at Sydney.

"No, I didn't."

"But you knew about him, by the time the two of you first met, right?"

"No, I didn't know that either." Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric all looked at shocked and then they looked at Jack. He was smiling a little at Irina, and she was smiling back at him. She smiled at everyone before continuing. "The KGB had told me horrible things about Americans, how they were nothing but capitalistic pigs, and that men only had one thing in mind when it came to pretty girls. They also told me not to be fooled by the freedom that Americans had. They told me they were careless, and that I shouldn't buy into their way of living. That I should keep my background in mind, and remember that the Russian way was the best. I came to the US a few months before starting university, so that I could study the Americans and develop the same habits. As I said, the KGB wanted me to blend in. Well, I got to know the neighborhood, made some friends, and I was enjoying myself. I was also a little excited to start school, and once I had I was enjoying myself thoroughly. One day, about a month after starting school, I was walking around campus, just looking, when all of a sudden this guy comes walking hurriedly around the corner. He was too busy to notice anything, and he walked straight into me, spilling his hot coffee and tomato juice allover my white pants and my favorite shirt, ruining it." She turned to Jack. "By the way, I still haven't forgiven you for ruining my favorite shirt." He laughed.

"And I have a feeling you never will." She laughed back at him.

"You've got that right." The rest of them were looking between Jack and Irina.

"So, your first meeting was actually accidentally?" Although Nadia had asked, Irina looked Jack straight in the eye. She wanted to reassure him.

"Yes, it really was. If the meeting had been a setup, I would've figured out something better that didn't involve ruining my clothes, and getting hot coffee spilled allover me." He smiled back at her, and everyone else nodded. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, happy to hear that their parents' first meeting hadn't been a setup.

"So mom, what happened next?" Irina turned her attention back to everyone else.

"Well, I got mad. Your father wasn't watching where he was going. It was his entire fault."

"Hang on. You said yourself that you were looking out on the campus. Maybe if you had paid a little more attention to where you were going, you could've avoided getting hot coffee and tomato juice spilled allover you." Jack smirked at her, while she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"My favorite shirt, Jack. My favorite shirt." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine, fine. It was all my fault." He grinned at her a little, and she smiled back.

"Exactly." She looked around at everyone. "After that, your father did everything he could to apologize. Needless to say, I was a little mad."

"A little mad? No, no. Girls your mother was furious. I did everything I could to apologize, but she wouldn't listen."

"And can you blame me?" He shook his head at her laughing. "Okay yes, I was furious. I yelled at you, cursing you, and you apologized time and time again. I took a napkin out of my bag and tried to dry myself, which was absolutely pointless. You then gave me one too, which I ripped out of your hands. In that moment I looked at you for the first time, only briefly, but I looked into these big, beautiful eyes, and for a split second, I was mesmerized. You had the cutest puppy dog look on your face. I suddenly felt a little warm, and couldn't look at you anymore, so I went on with the hopeless task of getting my clothes dried with two napkins. Knowing that wouldn't help, I pushed you out of the way, running to the nearest restroom and you followed me straight in." She looked at Sydney and Nadia. "In his attempt to apologize, he didn't notice that the restroom was for women only, before he walked in there. You can imagine how embarrassed he was when he noticed that there were only women in there." Everyone laughed except for Jack, who looked down embarrassed. "When he finally did notice, his face turned red. He apologized for the intrusion and walked outside where he waited for me." Everyone laughed and Jack just shook his head at them.

"And you sure kept me waiting." He looked back up at Irina and smiled.

"Of course I did."

"How long did she make you wait, Jack?"

"Little over an hour." Everyone laughed more at that.

"When I got out of there he apologized again and again. I walked past him not wanting to listen, but he kept following me. He said he'd do anything to make it up to me, and after he'd been begging long enough, I agreed to let him take me to the most expensive restaurant in town. He agreed without hesitation. We agreed on going the upcoming Saturday. We had a few classes together and also saw each other around campus, but although he tried to talk to me, I didn't give him the time of day. Only when he was worried that I wasn't going to go, did I talk to him to reassure him that I had every intention of showing up, because he owed me." Everyone laughed again.

"Oh I can hardly wait to hear how the trip to the restaurant went." Eric laughed a little more.

"The restaurant had a dress code. The men had to wear suits and ties, and the women had to wear skirts or dresses. I had gone out to buy a new skirt and a new shirt, and I was actually looking forward to going. I was all giddy and couldn't really understand why I felt that way. I wasn't allowed to get involved with anyone, and I was absolutely under no circumstances allowed to sleep with anyone. But since the KGB wasn't watching me until I got my complete assignment, I thought it couldn't hurt to go out for one night, taking advantage of the offer and having an expensive meal. But I still couldn't shake off how happy I was to be going, or why I had actually gone out and bought new clothes." She looked back at Jack. "You came to pick me up, and when I opened the door you absolutely took my breath away. Standing there in your suit that fit your well built body perfectly. You looked amazing and for the first time ever I was speechless."

"You were speechless? What about me? You nearly gave me a heart attack with that outfit." He spoke softer. "You looked stunning. Absolutely beautiful. You left me speechless too." They smiled at the memory. "You still look absolutely beautiful." She smiled shyly, blushing a little, and for a few seconds they just looked at each other. Then she returned her attention to everyone else.

"Well, we ended up just looking at each other for a while, before your father handed me the flowers he brought. We went to the restaurant, but it turned out rather disappointing. You'd think that such an expensive restaurant would have glorious food, but it tasted like plastic." Jack laughed. "We only had a few bites, before deciding to leave and go somewhere else. We went to a nice quiet little bistro, and had a lovely dinner. Afterwards we walked around, had ice-cream and sat down and talked. Mostly about our studies and the city. Then later he took me home, walking me to my door. I was expecting him to take advantage, because that's what I'd been taught that men do, but no. Your father was the perfect gentleman, not even trying as much as to give me a kiss. He thanked me for a lovely evening, apologized again for ruining my clothes, and then waited for me to walk inside. I couldn't believe the night I'd had, and for the first time since coming to the US, I went to bed with a smile on my face."

"Aaaww, aren't you adorable, Jack." They all laughed at Eric's comment, except for Jack, who gave him and un-amused glare.

"So that's how your relationship started?" Nadia was very excited to hear how her parents had met, and Sydney was equally anxious hearing about it. She'd heard the story when she was little, but couldn't quite remember it anymore. But this was also like hearing it for the first time, since the full truth was behind it.

"Not exactly. The next day your father sent me flowers with a note, thanking me for a lovely evening, apologizing again for my ruined clothes, and saying that he'd love to take me out again sometime. He left his number and address and told me if I was interested to give him a call. But because I was on a mission and not meant to get involved with anyone, I didn't call him or contact him. We saw each other in class a few times, and said hi to each other when we met around campus, but that was it. Nearly a week later, he walked up to me asking, if he'd offended me on our night out together. When I said no, he gave me a little smile, apologized for bothering me and then left. I ran after him, knowing that I'd hurt him." She looked at Jack. "I wanted to go out with you again, but also knew that I couldn't." She looked back at everyone else. "But as much as I tried to tell him, it was me there was something wrong with and not him, I couldn't let go. Those sweet puppy dog eyes and that cute smile were staring me in the face. I thought, I could at least have some fun while waiting for my target." She looked at Jack again. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't want to be with you just for fun. You were genuine and knowing that I'd have to hurt you eventually when the KGB gave me my assignment made me sick. But there was just something about you that I couldn't let go off. I'm sorry." He gave her a little smile.

"It's okay. I understand." He gave her a more reassuring smile and she went on.

"After that I agreed to another date, and another date after that. We studied together and hang out together and before long we were a couple. I liked you more and more and hated that I'd have to end things with you at some point. You were everything they told me a man wouldn't be, and I never wanted to hurt you." He nodded and she turned her attention to everyone else. "Your father remained the perfect gentleman. Always considered of my feelings. He never tried to take advantage of me, and it took him almost a month and a half before he kissed me for the first time."

"That long?" Eric couldn't really believe it, but Nadia smiled.

"I think that's sweet." Jack smiled shyly at her and at Sydney too, when she gave his hand a little squeeze.

"The last part of my assignment came in January the following year." She looked at Jack again. "I was shocked and relieved at the same time when I found out that you were my target. I knew that I'd end up hurting you one day when my extraction came, but at the same time I was thrilled that I could stay with you. You were loving and caring, and I was thrilled that you were my target and not some man, who might be the opposite. I was also shocked to learn, you were CIA. I never had a feeling of that in our time together. It scared me. Knowing you were the best of the best, and knowing what you'd be capable of, I feared what you might do to me if you ever knew the truth about me." He nodded. "The KGB told me to start approaching you right away. The sooner, the better. Jack, do you remember me calling you one evening, saying that I was interested in trying out for a play, but that I needed to see if it was my thing, and then asking you to pretend like we were strangers for a week or two when we met around campus, then getting your opinion on whether or not I had any talent?" He looked at her curiously.

"Yes, I do. And as I remember you never was in that play."

"That's because there never was a play."

"What?"

"My handler was watching me to make sure I approached you, and got things moving. I couldn't just walk up to you like I'd done before. That would've gotten me into trouble, and disobeying the KGB was not an option. I had to convince him that we met for the first time, and that was the only way I could come up with." He looked at her surprised but then nodded.

"Well that certainly explains a few things."

"Like the dinner a week and a half later?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, and his face suddenly turned red with embarrassment.

"Yeah."

"What dinner?" Sydney and Nadia looked between their parents.

"Well you see, I had to pretend to be out on a first date with your father. We arranged to meet at a restaurant, and my handler helped get me ready. He'd picked out an outfit for me, my makeup, and even told me how to do my hair. I went to the restaurant where your father was waiting, and…Jack do you remember what you said to me?" He looked down embarrassed and his voice was almost a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Dad, what did you say?" He shook his head and Sydney turned to her mother. "Mom, what did he say?" Irina grinned.

"He said "What the hell are you wearing, you look like a slut."" Everyone gasped and Jack kept looking down.

"Dad, you didn't?"

"Ouch, Jack."

"He was quite right to call me that. I was wearing nothing like the clothes he'd seen me in the previous months. My skirt was much too short, my shirt showed too much cleavage and was much too tight, my makeup was way too much, and my hair was all over the place. My handler thought that that look would get your father turned on. I knew that he wouldn't be thrilled about it, but I couldn't do anything because my handler was coming later to check up on me."

"So what happened after that?"

"Well, I tried my best not to feel offended, but in truth I was a little hurt. Your father tried to apologize, but things were awkward throughout dinner. I met my handler at one time during a trip to the bathroom. He said that things looked a little strange between us, and that I had to do what it took to make your father want me. If not I would suffer the consequences. After that he left. Things only got more difficult after that. Practically every man in the room was staring at me, giving me looks, and your father wasn't pleased. He got more and more annoyed with that, and wanted to know why I'd dressed the way I did. I told him, I wanted to dress up nice for him, but he said that wasn't nice, it was just wrong. He got a little mad, saying that wasn't how I usually dressed or acted, and I thought I'd lost him. At the end of our dinner, I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want this mission anymore, and I yelled at him that it was over between us, before running out of the restaurant."

"What then?"

"I paid the check immediately and ran after your mother. I knew I'd hurt her feelings, so I ran after her to apologize." She looked at him again and smiled.

"Yes, you did. It was snowing outside and the roads were icy. You called out to me as I was just about to run down some steps, and looking back at you I lost my footing on the icy ground and fell down. I broke my leg and was screaming in pain."

"You frightened the hell out me. That piercing scream sent shivers throughout my body. It seemed like it took forever for me to get to you."

"And once you did, I wanted nothing to do with you." They shared a laugh.

"Yeah, I remember. You pushed me away, and wouldn't let me help you even though you were in no condition to do anything yourself. Even in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, you didn't speak to me."

"Or the time I spent in hospital."

"Or throughout your recovery." They laughed again, and everyone looked on amazed by the story they were telling.

"You were so sorry for the way you treated me, but I wouldn't give you the time of day."

"No you wouldn't. And when the doctor told you that he couldn't send you home without having someone to take care of you, and I agreed to take care of you, you protested."

"But I didn't want to stay in hospital, so I reluctantly agreed." She smiled lovingly at him. "You took such good care of me. You did everything for me. You cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, helped me study even when you had a busy schedule of your own. You stayed with me all day and all night long, insisting on staying with me until I was all better. I still gave you the silent treatment, and it didn't make things any better, when I got the flu from wearing too little clothes out in such bad weather. You did everything to make me comfortable. Reading me my favorite stories, getting me my favorite things, sitting up with me all night, because I was throwing up, and couldn't get to the bathroom myself, putting a cold washcloth on my forehead. You did everything and not once did you try to take advantage of the situation. You slept on the couch or in a chair by my bed, not once doing something you weren't supposed to. Then when I got better and I didn't need your help anymore, you said your goodbyes and that you would never bother me again. That scared the hell out of me. The thought of losing you, of not having you in my life was too much for me to handle, and I apologized, telling you I'd been wrong." He smiled lovingly at her.

"Yeah, I remember." She smiled shyly at him.

"That was the moment I fell in love with you." He stared wide eyed at her and she smiled. "It didn't really dawn on me until much later, but that was the moment." She looked at him ashamed. "I'm sorry I was in love with you for so long, and never told you the truth." He nodded and smiled. They looked at each other for a little while longer, before Nadia interrupted them.

"What happened after that?" Irina looked back at everyone else.

"Well, our relationship went on, and got stronger, and eventually your father asked me to marry him." She looked at Jack again and smiled. "And _I_ said yes." He smiled. "We had a beautiful wedding, not huge, but not that small either, and we started our lives together, and my real work started." She looked at him ashamed. "In the beginning it was somewhat easy to steal from you. I separated my work from my life with you, and kept a clear focus that stealing government secrets from you was part of my job, and I was doing mother Russia proud. But our life together was real, and that became more important to me than anything else. Every 'I love you' was real, every kiss was real, every endearment was real, every fight was real, every time we made love was real, every dance was real, every trip to the grocery store was real, every time I cleaned the house was real, my job as a teacher was real. And Sydney was real." She looked at Sydney smiling lovingly. "You were real, you were wanted, you were loved, and you were not part of my job." Sydney started to tear up a little.

"Thank you." She gave Sydney a nod, and turned to Jack.

"I wanted to have children with you more than anything. I wanted us to have a family. The KGB didn't want me to have children. They said it would only complicate things, and make me more attached to my made believed life. They threatened to kill me and you, if ever I did have a child." That sent shivers down everyone's spine. "When I found out I was pregnant I got scared, but I was also thrilled about having your child. I told you first before the KGB found out. I didn't tell them until I was little over three months pregnant. My handler was not happy. He yelled at me and hit me. I convinced him that it would be the best way to maintain my cover, and that it would ensure your devotion to me even more. He said he'd talk it over with his superiors, and for the next few days I feared for our lives. I thought about telling you the truth, but I had no way of knowing how you'd react, and I knew the KGB would find us if we ran. When they agreed to let me keep our baby, they told me that if I ever got pregnant again, they'd kill all of us. So I made sure to take my birth control pill every time. That's why I made up the story about having problems conceiving again. It's not that I didn't want to have more children, it's because I didn't want any of us to get killed." A few tears escaped her eye, and she wiped them away. He gave her a small smile.

"I understand, Irina. You were protecting us." She smiled back at him. Sydney dried her own tears a little, and was a bit nervous about asking her mother.

"Uh, mom?" Irina looked at Sydney and nodded. "I don't want to upset you, but Sloane said at one point that he believed he was my father. How come he thought that, when you obviously didn't like him?" Irina looked at her daughter curiously, but then realization dawned on her, and she laughed a little, leaving everyone a little puzzled.

"He came to the house one night. I was home alone waiting for your father to return the day after from a mission. He told me that he'd had a fight with Emily, and that she'd kicked him out. He said he needed comfort and someone to talk to, and thought I'd be the perfect person." She rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to let him in, but he was being very persistent, and I didn't really want to upset him since he was your father's friend. Apparently he came well prepared. He brought two bottles of red wine with him. We drank them, and he started to make advances. I excused myself, saying that I'd get him a drink. The KGB had given me some strong sleeping pills, telling me to use them on your father if ever I didn't want to have his dirty hands all over me. They would put him to sleep immediately, so I could look through his work." She looked at Jack intently. "I never used the pills on you, Jack. Never." He smiled her, letting her know that he didn't think she ever did. She smiled back relieved, before focusing on Sydney. "I put the sleeping pills in his drink, and sure enough he was out like a light. Against my will, I undressed him, scattered his clothes all over the floor, covered him in a blanket, went upstairs, and took five showers before going to bed. The next morning when he woke up he thought we'd slept together. I told him we had, because we'd both had too much to drink. He apologized and we agreed to keep it between the two of us. He couldn't get out of the house fast enough, and after he left I went upstairs and showered four more times. Even though he never laid a hand on me, I still felt like it, and wanted to make it go away. Your father came home later that afternoon, and in the evening we went to Australia on vacation where you were conceived."

"Well that certainly explains the water bill that month." Everyone looked at Jack, and they all laughed a little. She looked at Jack.

"After Sydney was born I started to give the KGB useless information about your work." Everyone looked at her surprised and especially Jack. She felt ashamed. "You will never be able to understand how sorry I am for having lied to you for so long. Time and time again I thought about telling you, but I kept the KGB's threats about killing all of us in the back of my mind. I knew they meant what they said, and not telling you the truth was the only way I could think of to keep us alive. When Sydney was around four, they wanted to extract me. I told them that the CIA had plans for you to work on something important while you were also working on Project Christmas, and that they would be giving up a big opportunity to be ahead if they extracted me. They were reluctant, but let me stay on. I gave them useless information and half the time I came up with the stuff myself. But my extraction was inevitable. When they told me my extraction date was getting nearer, I panicked and tried to stall again. They said that this time I couldn't and that I should get myself ready, because it could happen at any moment. I was desperate, so I thought that having another child might be the way for me to stay. I knew what they'd told me the first time I got pregnant, but that was a long time ago, so I thought I'd take the chance." She turned to Nadia. "Please don't think that I had you, just so I would have a way out. Because you weren't a way out. I wanted you before I even had you. Your father and I both did." She gave Nadia a tearful smile, and Nadia returned it. They both then turned to Jack, who gave them an emotional smile and nodded. Irina looked at Nadia again. "You were as real, loved, and wanted as Sydney."

"I know, mom." Irina swallowed a few times, before going on. She turned her attention to Jack.

"You were away on a mission when I was told that, and were not due back for a few days. When I had made my decision, I went off birth control when I got home. The night before you came home Sloane stopped by. He wanted to talk inside, but when I refused to let him in and was about to close the door, he pulled out a gun and told me that he knew the truth about me. He pushed the door open before I had anytime to react. He threw some pictures in my face of me meeting with my handler, and some documents with my real name on it. He threatened to kill you and Sydney if he didn't get what he wanted. What he wanted was me. I tried to get away, but he was right in my face, and he knocked me over the head with the butt of his gun. I fell down and he got on top of me, pinning me down and putting his loaded gun to my temple. He said that since I'd whored myself out for the KGB, he was getting a piece of the action himself. He wanted to know what a Russian felt like. Sydney was asleep upstairs, and he threatened to kill her if I didn't give him what he wanted. So, I gave in and let him rape me. I'm so sorry, Jack, I'm so sorry." She wiped away her falling tears, and Jack took hold of one of her hands, kissing it.

"It's not your fault Irina. You were protecting Sydney and me. It's not your fault." He placed his other hand on her face, drying her tears with his thumb. Everyone else, with the exception of Sergei was shocked to hear, what Irina had just told them. Sydney and Nadia were both crying too, and Vaughn and Eric were comforting them.

"That bastard. I should've killed him when I had the chance." Nadia cried into Eric's shoulder.

"We all should."

Irina waited a few moments before continuing.

"I couldn't wait for you to come home the next day. I wanted you so badly. I wanted to feel your hands on me. I needed to feel your love. When you got home late at night I threw myself at you. You'd been injured and wasn't really up for making love, but you didn't really have time to protest, when I was taking your clothes off so fast. We had only just gotten started in the bedroom, when you cried out in pain. You were injured more than any of us realized." Jack nodded remembering.

"I had internal bleedings, and was rushed to the hospital." She nodded.

"Yes. And because we never finished what we started, because you never…" She looked around at her daughters not really knowing how to word it, so they wouldn't feel too awkward. "Because you never made your deposit that you need to make in order to have children, I always thought that there was a strong possibility that Sloane was Nadia's father." She gave him a small smile. "But apparently some of your deposit got through." He smiled back at her and kissed her hand.

"And we're all glad it did." They all looked at Eric, who was giving them a warm smile, before Irina went on.

"You were in the hospital for two weeks recovering and recovering for another week when you got home. We were not intimate during that time, so that only made my suspicion of Sloane being Nadia's father even stronger."

"You stayed at the hospital with me every night. You and Sydney both did. And in the little time you were still with us before your extraction, you stayed by my side, not wanting to be away from me." She nodded.

"In the beginning it was to get away from Sloane. I knew he'd never tell you the truth, so if I stayed with you in the hospital, I wouldn't have to be afraid that he'd come to the house again to have his way with me. But about a week and a half after you got back from the hospital, I got the date for my extraction, and I wanted to spend every moment I could with you. I wanted to remember everything about you, even though I knew it all by heart. Up until the time I left the house on the day of my extraction, I thought about telling you the truth, but I knew that you'd be safer if I didn't. I never thought you'd find out the truth about me, and I thought I was protecting you and Sydney." He gave her a small smile.

"You did. We're still alive." She gave him a tearful smile, and Sydney and Nadia were smiling through tears of their own. After a few minutes of silence, Sydney spoke.

"What happened after your extraction?" Irina turned pale, and started to shiver a little. She sat back in her armchair and drew her legs up to her chin, staring out into the air, not able to focus on anyone. Swallowing a few times she continued.

"Kashmir happened. The KGB had for years thought that my loyalties were shifting. That I had developed real feelings for your father and you. All the times I had been stalling my extraction only made them even more sure of that fact. They also knew that a lot of the findings I'd given them about your father's work were useless. So they threw me in jail for treason. In the beginning they interrogated me. They wanted to hear me confess that I had had feelings for you. I told them I never did. I told them that you were both fools for thinking that I ever loved you. They still didn't buy it. It didn't help me when I started to get sick. They took me to the doctor, and when they found out that I was pregnant, they got furious, because they told me that I knew I wasn't supposed to do that. They told me that they were going to kill you and your father, because that's what they had told me they would, if ever I got pregnant again. I feared for your lives, and a few days later they brought me a fake recording. I heard your voice and your father's and then it sounded like you were being shot. I didn't know that it was a fake recording at the time, so I instinctive broke down sobbing, which gave them the proof that they needed. They knew I'd been disloyal. Then they told me that you were still alive, and that they'd made the recording to find out to whom, my loyalties belonged. Then they put me through, as they called it, reeducation." She swallowed again, and she started to cry. "They said I needed to know my place as the whore I was. They said I was sent to the US as a whore, and that since I'd let an American pig let him have his way with me for so many years, I must've been looking forward to knowing what it was like being with a real man again. They said they'd be sure to teach me." She swallowed a few times, struggling to get her words out. So they…they…ra…ra…raped me." Everyone gasped. "And they ra…raped me, and they raped me. One man would have his turn, then another, and then another. It didn't matter that I wasn't ready, they just raped me regardless. They tied me down or held me down, and they groped me all over. Every guard had his turn with me, and on most days I was raped several times a day. Hardly a day went by when I wasn't raped." She broke down sobbing and needed a break before continuing. Sydney and Nadia were crying their eyes out, and went by their mother's side instantly when she broke down.

"It's okay, mom."

"We're here."

Sergei was crying too. He'd never heard about Kashmir this detailed before. He only knew that she'd been in prison and that it hadn't been pleasant. Vaughn was not feeling comfortable either, and despite her killing his father, he didn't think that anyone deserved that kind of treatment. Eric was shaking his head, crying too, and equally appalled that anyone could do that to another human being. Jack was white as a sheet. He was sick to his stomach of hearing what she'd gone through, and he felt like throwing up. After a few minutes Irina went on with Sydney and Nadia sitting by her side. She still had a hard time talking.

"The guards were not the only ones. Cuvee raped me too." Jack froze. He knew there was something about him, when he, Irina, and Sydney had all gone on the mission to Kashmir together. He was glad that he'd knocked him out, but now wishing he'd killed him. Sydney gasped a little. She remembered Cuvee too. "He had always wanted me, and now he said he finally would have me. He raped me whenever he felt like it. When I got further along in my pregnancy they stopped. They didn't want to touch me and I was glad. It gave me some room to breath for a short time, but they found other ways of torturing me. They starved me and beat me. You were so tiny when you were born, Nadia. I didn't even think you'd survive. I had you for a day before they took me away from you." Nadia hugged her mother tighter.

"You have me forever now, mom." Irina cried a little harder before she went on.

"After you were born the raping continued. They didn't even wait long enough for me to recover from giving birth, which sent me to the doctor's quite a few times." Jack felt repulsed by hearing that. "The doctor finally ordered them to leave me alone until I had healed, and when I had they continued. One time when I was in Cuvee's office for his private turn with me, I noticed the plans for the mines. He'd forgotten to put them away. I was chained to a radiator waiting for him, but I was able to turn enough, so that I could make them out. I memorized them in case I ever had an opportunity to escape. I became cold and distant being put through constant rape, and I started to believe I was a whore. I admitted it to them, and told them I was wrong for ever having had feelings for any of you, and that I was glad to be rid of you. I knew in my heart that I still loved you, and that I always would. But I also thought that you'd never accept the truth about me, so I thought I might as well tell the KGB what they wanted to hear. Eventually, they believed I was reeducated. They let me go home. My father was out of town at that time, but my mother was home. For the first few days I didn't talk about anything, but when she showed me some of the pictures I'd sent home of you, I broke down and told her everything. It almost gave her a heart attack. She went to the hospital for a few days. When my father came home, we told him that she'd have trouble breathing, and that's why she was in hospital. He never knew about my time in Kashmir. I couldn't get out of the KGB, so I went on to committing crime. It was all I was good for, and that continued after the fall of the KGB. After that I thought about returning to you. I had some contacts checking up on you, and when they told me what my betrayal had done to you, Jack, and your relationship with Sydney, I thought it was best to stay away. I'm so sorry. So sorry." She started sobbing again, and Sydney hugged her mother a little tighter.

"It's okay, mom."

"I turned to Rambaldi for comfort as well as crime. Those were the only things that made sense to me. I started looking for you, Nadia, the minute I had the opportunity. Since I couldn't have your father and sister back, I became desperate about finding you. I wanted to have one member of my family with me. I found out that your father had information on her whereabouts, Michael, and I found him. He didn't want to tell me where she was, because he thought I'd use her for Rambaldi's purposes. I couldn't make him see that it wasn't my intention, so I snapped. Having my entire family taken away from me was more than I could handle, and now that someone was standing in front of me not wanting to give me one member back, I saw red, and I killed him." Vaughn swallowed once and a tear escaped his eye. Though she killed his father, he had a little more of an understanding of her reasons for doing it. "From that moment on my life didn't make sense. I felt empty and alone, and I came close to dying so many times. But in reality I was already dead. The only bright thing in my life was investing the money my mother gave me, and eventually opening the restaurant. Katya became a good support for me, and she helped me look for you, Nadia. Despite you thinking that she tried to kill you, Sydney, she didn't. She loves you, Nadia, and the triplets, and she'd never hurt you." Sydney was surprised to hear that, knowing that her mother wouldn't lie to her.

"I still find it a little hard to believe, but if you say so, mom." There was a pause for a few more second before Irina went on.

"It wasn't until I met you in Taipei that my life really started to make sense again, Sydney." Irina smiled a little for the first time in a while. "When I saw you, I knew that maybe I'd have a chance again. It was a long shot, but I decided to take it, and I'm glad I did."

"Me too, mom."

"My intentions were to stop Sloane and get out of CIA custody. I couldn't bear to spend more time in jail, even though the time in US prison was nothing like Kashmir. But I also knew that I'd be betraying you again, and I'm so sorry for hurting you. Both of you." She hadn't been able to look Jack in the eye since she started talking about Kashmir. She was afraid she would see disgust in his eyes for her. She was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle what happened to her in Kashmir. She saw from the corner of her eyes that he was nodding. "Well, you pretty much know the rest of the story. Your father and I worked together to find the people responsible for your disappearance, I got pregnant, had the triplets, kidnapped by Elena, and then you rescued me in Guatemala. You know everything that happened after Sovogda. I'm so sorry for all the hurt and heart ache I've ever caused any of you. I don't deserve everything you've done for me, and everything you've done to get me the pardoning agreement. I don't deserve it." She cried a bit more and Sydney and Nadia both hugged her.

"I forgive you mom, and I love you."

"I forgive you too, mom, and I love you." Irina smiled through her tears as she hugged her eldest daughters tighter.

"I love you too, girls. So much." There was silence for a few minutes, before Sydney talked again.

"I think we should probably go to bed now." They all nodded. "Uh, but before we do, I just have one more question if that's alright, mom?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

"During my missing years, were we ever in contact?"

"No we weren't. I would've told you if we were, I would've told your father. Why do you ask?"

"Because at one point after I got back, Sloane gave me a letter that was in my handwriting. Dad recognized it as a cipher text you'd created. If I didn't meet up with you, then how did I know about the cipher text." Irina looked away from Sydney embarrassed.

"I taught you that, when you were five." Sydney gasped and Jack was stunned too.

"What?" Irina looked back at Sydney.

"I didn't teach it to you to harm you. It didn't harm you in anyway. It was meant to be a help. I thought that if I ever needed to get in contact with you after I was extracted, then I could use that cipher text. It would be placed in your subconscious, and you would only really use it when you needed to. I'm so sorry, sweetheart, I never meant to cause you any pain." She turned to Jack. "Honestly Jack, I never meant to cause her any pain." He gave her a small smile. That was all he was able to give her, still being too repulsed from hearing what she'd been through.

"It's okay. I know you wouldn't hurt her." She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, it's okay mom. And it did help." Irina looked at Sydney who was smiling at her, and they hugged. Nadia joined in the hug, and after a while everyone stood up.

They all looked at each other, not really knowing what to say. Sergei walked over to her and gave her a hug. He was too emotional to say anything and just hugged her. Eric gave her the same treatment. He'd been crying too, and couldn't speak. However, she understood their silent sympathy. Vaughn walked over to her and they looked at each other for a moment. Then he too gave her a hug. It was shorter than the one Sergei and Eric had given her, but it was a hug nonetheless. Sydney couldn't help but smile, as a tear ran down her cheek.

They all started to head upstairs and Irina grabbed a hold of Jack's hand. She held on tight not wanting to let go. She feared that he would. They all said a quick goodnight out in the hall, and the minute Jack and Irina got into her bedroom, she crashed his lips onto his. She kissed him hungrily. She needed him more than she'd ever needed him. She needed to feel his hands on her, needed to make love to him after her revelations of Kashmir. She feared that he'd turn his back on her after hearing of Kashmir, and she wanted to show him how much she loved him, and she needed to do that now. But when they were standing by the bed, and she started to unbuckle his belt while still kissing him, he stopped.

"No, no."

He turned and walked away. She couldn't face watching him leave, and turned her back to him immediately when he made motion to leave, sobbing silently.

**TBC**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

She kept sobbing, but stopped momentarily when she heard the door being locked. She turned around to see Jack standing by the door.

"I thought, it'd be best to lock the door, so there's no chance of getti….." He stopped talking when he turned back towards Irina and saw the devastated look on her face and the tears running down her cheeks. "What's wrong?" She started sobbing again and her knees buckled. Jack barely caught her before she fell on the floor. He took her in his arms and sat them up on the bed, with her hugging him for dear life. "Irina, what's wrong."

When she still didn't answer him, he waited until her tears had subsided. After a little while she was still crying, but was able to talk.

"I thought you left."

"Why would I leave?"

"Because I thought I repulsed you. I thought you'd want nothing to do with me after hearing about Kashmir." Jack couldn't believe she'd thought that and hugged her tighter.

"No, Irina, no. I'm not repulsed by you. Never."

"How can you not be, after what they did?"

"Because, I love you. I'm repulsed by the way they treated you, but not by you. Never by you."

"They treated me like the whore I was, Jack. That's what I was, a whore." Jack's breath got caught in his throat. Then he took her face in his hands, wanting her to look at him.

"Irina, look at me." She was still looking down. "Irina, look at me. Look at me." His voice was soft but demanding. She finally looked at him. "You were not a whore. Do you hear me? You were not a whore. I don't think that and neither does anyone else. Don't think so little of yourself. Don't you even dare."

"But Jack…"

"No, buts. I will not have you thinking of yourself that way, and I'm sorry that I ever implied it." She looked at him a little confused through her still falling tears.

"Jack, when did you ever imply that?"

"At my place, the night before we left for Vancouver. I asked if you'd lost count on the amount of men you'd slept with throughout our marriage, because you didn't know who Nadia's father was. I'm so sorry about that. So sorry."

"Jack, I never thought you meant that or even implied it. Please don't think that I think, you meant that."

"I won't, if you stop thinking that you were ever a whore. You were not, Irina. You were not." She was shaking her head, looking down, and he lifted her head up to look at him again. "It might've been your job to betray and steal, but it was not your job to love, and that's what you did. You loved. You loved me and Sydney. And I'm grateful for all the love you gave me."

"But look what that did to you. I broke your heart and soul. I broke the most loving and caring man, I've ever known, and turned you into someone cold and distant."

"And your love will mend that." She shook her head again, about to look down, but Jack held her head in place. "Irina, I love you, and you need to start loving yourself." He dried her constant falling tears with his thumbs. "Repeat after me. I'm a good person."

"Jack, I ca…."

"Say it." His voice was still soft, demanding, and filled with love. He needed her to think better of herself.

"I'm a good person."

"No Irina. Say it like you mean it. Say it with conviction."

"Jack, please."

"You need to do this. Come on." She swallowed a few times.

"I'm a good person."

"Now say, I'm worthy of being loved." She was trying to look down, but Jack still kept her head in place.

"I'm worthy of being loved."

"I will stop thinking badly of myself." Her tears came harder.

"I will stop thinking badly of myself."

"I will love myself."

"I will love myself."

"I will forgive myself." She had a hard time getting the words out. "Come on Irina, you can do it."

"I..I…will..forgive myself." Jack smiled at her, and his eyes started to get wet too.

"I'm going to put all these things onto paper and have you sign it. It'll be a binding contract, and you won't be able to run away from it." He grinned a little, and she smiled too. Then she threw her arms around him, hugging him so tight that they fell backwards on the bed. He had a hard time breathing. "Okay, we also need to put in the contract that under no circumstances, are you allowed to suffocate your husband." She lifted her head and looked down on him, with her tears falling all over his face. She looked at him dumbfounded.

"Husband?" He smiled.

"Yeah. I checked before coming here. Since you're not really dead, we're still married." She smiled as broadly as he did. "I thought we'd stay married. Unless of course you want a divorce." He grinned and she slapped him playfully on the chest.

"Don't you dare say that. I want to stay married to you. That's all I ever wanted." She kissed him, and then hug him tightly again, still crying. They stayed like that for a few moments.

"Irina, there's something else." He lifted her head, so that she'd look at him. He gave her a loving smile, and then gave her a kiss, before looking at her again. "I forgive you." She gasped. It took her a few moments for Jack's words to sink in.

"You…you forgive me?" He nodded. "How can you possibly forgive me after everything I've done to you?"

"Because, I know now that you always loved me. I know that our first meeting wasn't a setup, and that our life together wasn't a lie. I've always doubted that, but thinking about those years together, and hearing you talk about our life tonight, makes me certain that your feelings were real. You might have stolen from me and lied about some things, but everything else was real. I will always wish that you'd have told me the truth back then, but I can also understand why you didn't. You feared for our lives, and for what I'd do to you. And you went through hell in prison because of your love for me, Sydney, and Nadia. Knowing what prison did to you, I can understand why you turned to crime and Rambaldi. I know the truth now, and will make peace with it, and I love you too much, not to forgive." She cried even harder and he drew her head down to his to kiss her.

"Thank you, Jack, thank you. You've already given me much more than I could ever hope for, and now this. Thank you." She kissed him again.

"Do you forgive me?" She looked at him confused.

"What have you done that you need my forgiveness for?"

"For setting you up in Madagascar and nearly getting you killed. For thinking you were capable of putting a hit out on Sydney, and then actually thinking I'd killed you. For nearly sleeping with Katya."

"Jack, I don't blame you for Madagascar. I had just gotten back in your lives, and you wanted to protect Sydney. You didn't know any better, and I hadn't given you much reason not to doubt me. About my double." She swallowed. "To be honest. Yeah that hurt. After everything we'd been through together looking for Sydney's killers, I thought you'd know that I'd never hurt her. And that you actually thought that that woman was me. That hurt too. I thought you'd know me better, that you'd know my lips." He looked at her ashamed, but she gave him a small smile. "But I still hadn't told you much about myself, so I can see why you could doubt me." He gave her a small smile too.

"After I'd gotten far enough away from there, I thought there was something strange about the whole thing. The kiss didn't feel real. It didn't sent, a wave of electricity throughout my body, like your kisses do. But I thought it was because of my hate that it didn't feel right. I'm so sorry, I didn't know any better." She smiled at him and caressed his cheek.

"And about Katya. I'm honestly glad you never slept with her. I wouldn't blame you if you did, because we weren't exactly together at that time, and I can understand why you wanted to get back at me. It might've hurt if you did sleep with her, but I wouldn't be able to hold it against you."

"I still kissed her."

"I know, but I forgive you. I forgive you for everything." They smiled at each other and then kissed. Irina put her head on Jack's chest, and he stroked her arm and nuzzled her hair. "You don't have to Jack, but will you tell me now, why you never slept with her?" Jack kissed the top of her head.

"She had a picture of you and Sydney taking at the park, when Sydney was three. I'd taken the picture. I couldn't understand why she'd have that or where she'd gotten it from, but I knew I couldn't go through with my intentions. I thought that maybe you had loved Sydney, and I couldn't sleep with Katya out of spite. I couldn't do that to any of you. I apologized to Katya, said I couldn't do it, but she tried to get her claws in me anyway. It took a long time for me to wrestle myself away from her. She sure got strength. When I finally did get free, I apologized again and left without explaining why I couldn't do it." Irina shook her head a little.

"I told her to keep her hands off of you. I told her you were off limits." He smiled a little.

"I should've stood my ground too. But she told me I was handsome and sexy, and though I don't care much about that, it was nice to hear again."

"Well, she's certainly got good taste."

"Does she?" Irina lifted her head and looked at Jack curiously, wanting him to go on. He swallowed a little. "I don't really care about my looks. I mean, I don't really think I'm that good looking. But to be honest, I always doubted what you told me about my looks. You always told me that I was sexy, handsome, and a turn on, but after learning the truth about you all those years ago, I always thought that was just a way to seduce me."

"No Jack, no. I was telling you the truth. When I first saw you, you took my breath away, with your beautiful eyes, and your boyish smile. You make my heart beat so fast that I have trouble catching my breath. You stir a passion in me that makes me feel like I'm on fire. When you touch me my whole body tingles. I desire you. You could be making the coffee, sleeping, mowing the lawn, playing with Sydney, be cursing over something you weren't able to fix, like Sydney's crib, and all I wanted to do was jump you. You're hot Jack, and age has only agreed with you." She smiled lovingly at him. "You'll never be able to comprehend what you do to me." She bent down and kissed him passionately, leaving them both breathless.

"Um, thank you." He smiled shyly at her.

"I also never faked anything in the bedroom." She gave him a reassuring smile and then grinned a little. "Or in the living room, in the shower, in the kitchen, in the yard, or anywhere else we made love." He rolled his eyes at her, but she took his face in her hands, and made him look at her, giving him another loving smile. "I meant what I said earlier tonight about everything in our life being real. It was Jack. Every bit of it." He returned the smile he was getting and gave her another kiss. They rested their foreheads against each others for a little while before looking into each others eyes. "You're my world Jack. Without you, I'm nothing, and my life makes no sense." They both started to cry again, though none of them had really stopped much.

"I'm nothing without you. You're my world, Irina. Thank you for loving me and giving me five beautiful children."

"Thank you too, Jack." They smiled through their tears.

"Thank you for Sydney." He kissed her, and she kissed him back. "Thank you for Nadia." He kissed her, and she kissed him back. "Thank you for Maddie." He kissed her again, and she kissed him back. "Thank you for Ethan." He kissed her, and she kissed him back. "And thank you for Caitie." He kissed her and she kissed him back. He smiled a little embarrassed.

"What Jack?"

"One of the things, I thought for sure meant that you didn't love, was when you didn't kiss me back in Vancouver, when I thanked you for Nadia. Why was it, you didn't kiss me back?"

"Because, you surprised me."

"What?"

"In Panama and the times we were together finding Sydney's killers, when things were in the heat of the moment and we ended up in bed together or simply kissing each other hungrily, it wasn't a matter of one of us starting it, it just happened. But when we slowed things down, when we were more loving towards each other, I took the initiative. I was the one kissing you in Sovogda, and I was the one initiating our love making in Venice, where the triplets were conceived. But in Vancouver you took the initiative and that surprised me. It was unexpected, so I didn't have time to respond." He smiled shyly at her, and she caressed his cheek.

"Irina, about this past week, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I shouldn't have been such an idiot. I'm sorry."

"No Jack, don't apologize for that. You had every right to be furious with me. Yes, it would've been better if you'd been nicer, but you had every right to act the way you did. Don't apologize for that, because I won't accept it. I kept your own children away from you for too long, and that was wrong of me."

"But you had your reasons. I understand that now. You protected me from going back to jail after I got out of solitary confinement. Then when you thought it'd be safer, you were taken by your sister. And it was probably for the best not to tell me, when we were working to stop Rambaldi's greatest work. I probably couldn't spend much time here anyway, and it wouldn't have been fair to the triplets, if they only saw me once or twice. We needed to take down Rambaldi and everyone, to make it safer for all of us, and had I gone to Russia from time to time, it could've been a huge risk to our mission." She gave him a sincere smile.

"I'm glad you understand how I felt, Jack, but I still kept them from you, when I shouldn't have. In my heart I know we could've worked something out. I mean it, don't apologize." He gave her a small smile.

"Okay, if you say so." She nodded and lay her head back down on his chest. A few minutes passed in silence, before Jack started to laugh a little. "I can't believe we have triplets at our age. It's insane, but god how I love them. I wouldn't trade them for anything."

"Me either." She lifted her head to look at him. "Jack, the food we had the night they were conceived…."

"Came from your restaurant." She looked at him a little surprised, when he'd finished her sentence. "Yeah, I figured. When I saw in the photo album the date of their birth, I counted backwards and knew they had to be conceived in Venice. When you told us about your restaurant, I remembered the food we'd had that night, and I put two and two together. I'm glad we had a special night of their conception, and not just because they happened. The evening was lovely to begin with, and it only got better." She smiled at him. "The food in your restaurant is amazing by the way."

"Thank you. We have to go there some day, so you can see it for yourself."

"I can't wait." He looked at her apologetically. "Irina, I'm sorry I never asked about the triplets' birthday. I mostly gave you the silent treatment all week, but I should've asked you that."

"It's okay, Jack. I should've just told you. We're both to blame for that one." They both smiled a little. "I'm glad we had a special night in Venice too. It reminded me of our first time together." She blushed a little, and he couldn't help but smile. "Though, in Venice we had years of experience from our time together, where as our first time we had no experience together, and I had no experience at all."

"What? What do you mean by you had no experience at all our first time?" She looked at him puzzled.

"I was a virgin. The KGB didn't want me to sleep with anyone before going on my mission, and they didn't want me to sleep with anyone other than my mark. I was supposed to tell my mark that I was a virgin. The KGB thought it'd get my mark more excited, more turned on. I knew it wouldn't matter to you, so I never told you. I just thought you could tell all along that I was a virgin."

"No, I couldn't." She smiled shyly.

"Well anyway, you were the one with the experience, not me." He looked away a little embarrassed, which she noticed. "Jack, what is it?"

"Um, I didn't have any experience either. I was a virgin too."

"What?"

"I thought you could tell."

"No, Jack I couldn't. Believe me I couldn't. You seemed very experienced to me. Besides, you were very popular around campus. Every woman wanted you, which is another example of you being hot. That's why, I thought you'd been around a bit."

"Every woman wanted me? I highly doubt that. Every man wanted you, which always made me extremely jealous. But I was also on cloud nine, because you chose to be with me."

"I was always jealous of all the women you looked at you, and who were checking you out. It made me furious on the inside, but I also knew that I was rubbing it in their faces that you were mine, and that they could only have you in their dreams." They smiled at each other, and she spoke softly. "Jack, don't feel embarrassed that you were a virgin our first time together. I'm glad we both were." He smiled shyly. "So, if you weren't experienced, how come you seemed to be?"

"I wanted to explore every inch of your body. Wanted to caress every inch with kisses. You have a smile that weakens my knees, and your eyes reach my soul. My heart beats a million miles a minute whenever I'm just thinking about you. You are so beautiful and you leave me in a daze. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I'm with you, and you render me completely speechless. I had imagined how our first time together would be, but I wasn't prepared for how it turned out. My mind shut down and my heart took over. When we made love for the first time, I felt like we were two halves uniting as one, and I still feel that way." She was crying again, and he was too.

"I feel the same way." They kissed again and tried to dry each others tears, though they were still coming. "I guess we were meant to be."

"Yeah, it seems like it." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You the only woman I've ever been with. There was never anyone after your extraction. One of the reasons being that I felt like, I could never trust anyone again, but also because I didn't felt like I deserved happiness. But mostly because I never wanted to be with anyone other than you. You were in my dreams and I dreamt against all hope that one day I'd have you back in my life." She cried harder.

"I was never with anyone other than you, Jack. After Kashmir I felt like nothing. I was ashamed of myself and never wanted another man touching me. I was dead inside, but in Panama you brought me back to life. I felt alive and for the first time in more than twenty years, I felt like I wasn't being suffocated anymore. My heart was beating again. It was beating for you. I dreamt of you too, and hoped my dreams would come true that one day we'd be together again." They hugged each other tightly and cried in each others arms.

After a while Jack's tears had almost subsided, but Irina was still crying. He kissed her forehead, and freed himself from her embrace. She looked at him confused, but smiled through her tears, when he stood up and held his hand out to her. She got up and took it.

They had spent countless hours dancing together in the beginning of their marriage. They'd danced in the living room at night, sometimes with Sydney in their arms. They'd danced in the kitchen, while preparing dinner. They'd danced in the park in front of people passing by, and Sydney shaking her head at how strange her parents were. They'd danced after a fight, seeking comfort in each others arms. They'd danced in their bedroom before and after making love. Sometimes they'd just stand there swaying from side to side without music. Other times they'd put on some music. And then there were the times, when Jack or Irina would sing a song they'd dance to.

Right now they were swaying from side to side. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and Irina knew that Jack was thinking of a song to sing. He'd always known just which one to choose. Jack stood there going through a million songs in his head, and finally he knew he had the right song. He started swaying a little faster and started to sing.

"I like big butts and I cannot lie

You other brothers can't deny

When a girl walks i…."

"Jack." She swatted him playfully on the chest and started to break into a fit of giggles. That was the reaction he'd hoped for. He wanted to hear her laugh and see that beautiful smile of hers shine through. After her laughter had died down a little, she looked at him shaking her head. "How on earth do you know that song?"

"One time when I went to visit Nadia at the safe house, I drove up there with Eric in his car. On the way there that song was played on the radio ten times, and on our way back it was played seven times. It was hard not get it stuck in my brain." She laughed at the silly expression on his face, and shook her head again.

"Why didn't you just ask him to change radio stations or switch it off yourself?"

"I didn't feel like I could do that to him, since he hadn't been included in on Nadia, you, and Vaughn. It happened shortly after she'd been taken to the safe house. So, I suffered." He groaned, which only made her laugh even more. Then she cocked an eyebrow.

"Jack, just what are you implying? Do you think my butt is big?" She grinned at him, and he laughed. He then placed his hands on her butt, and pulled her to him, giving her butt a gentle squeeze.

"No, your butt is just perfect." She smiled. "And your laughter is music to my ears." They kissed and wrapped their arms around each other again, swaying silently, before Jack started singing again.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes

when you're fast asleep.

In dreams you will lose your heartaches

whatever you wish for, you keep.

Have faith in your dreams and someday

your rainbow, will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

if you keep on believing

the dream that you wish will come true."

He kept humming the song for a long time, as they just swayed together. She then started to kiss his neck, and started to slowly unbutton his shirt. He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She smiled at him, putting her hands on top of his own.

"Yes, Jack. I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He smiled back at her, and kissed her tenderly.

They made love slowly and passionately, giving special care to every inch of each others bodies, hearts and souls.

**TBC**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

The next morning Jack and Irina woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Jack immediately panicked a little bit. He didn't want the triplets to find him and their mother this way. All their clothes were scattered all over the floor, and they were naked. Irina watched him and couldn't help but be amused.

"It's not the triplets. They don't knock like that." He looked at her and then looked at the door, when he heard Sydney's voice very quietly through the other side of the door.

"Mom, dad, are you up yet?" Irina smiled and gave Jack a quick kiss.

"Told you." She was about to get out of bed when Jack gently grabbed her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To answer the door. When someone knocks on the door, the most polite thing to do is answering it." She couldn't help but grin, and even more when Jack rolled his eyes at her.

"I know that, but we're not dressed and our clothes are everywhere. I don't want Sydney to see that."

"I have no intention on opening the door naked. I'm putting on a robe." There was another knock, and Irina was able to slip out of bed. She called out to Sydney. "Be right there."

"Just wait a second. I want to get the clothes up off the floor, and put mine on."

"Too late, Jack. Already got my robe on." She quickly got her robe on, tying it as she ran to the door. Jack had just gotten out of bed, picking up Irina's bra, when he quickly got back to bed.

"I can't believe you." When Irina had her hand on the doorknob, he got under the covers, covering himself completely. She smiled back at him, before opening the door a little.

"Morning, sweetheart." Sydney smiled at her mother a little embarrassed. She had a feeling what had been going on between her parents, and felt a little uncomfortable. Her mother also seemed extremely happy.

"Morning, mom. I just wanted to tell you two that all of us are going out for breakfast. We haven't told the triplets anything. We just told them that Sergei wanted to spend the morning with all your children, Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle, and that we'd let you and dad sleep in. We'll probably be back around lunch time. I told them that I'd let you and dad know."

"Okay. That sounds like fun. Have a great time." Sydney looked her mother in the eye, and was a little concerned, even though her mother had been smiling.

"Is everything okay between you and dad?" Irina smiled sincerely.

"Yes, everything is just fine between us." Then she smiled a bit more amused. "But feel free to ask your father yourself." She opened the door fully, so that Sydney could see all the scattered clothes on the floor, and her father under the covers. Sydney stared wide eyes for a few seconds, then shut her eyes. Jack groaned loudly.

"Mom, please. I did not need to see that. I'm thrilled you're fine, but I did not need to see that. I'm leaving."

"So, you didn't want to ask your father if everything is fine?" Sydney waved her hands in the air.

"No, mom." Then she left, leaving Irina laughing a bit. She closed the door and locked it too, just in case and went over to stand by the bed.

"You can come out now." Jack pulled the covers down to the middle of his chest, still holding Irina's bra in his hand, and with an un-amused look on his face. Irina grinned a little. "Trying on my underwear, Jack?" He noticed the bra in his hand, threw it back down on the floor, and rolled his eyes at her.

"Why did you have to do that? It's embarrassing."

"Can I help it, if I want to show my daughter how much I'm in love with her father? You better get used to it, because I intend to kiss you whenever I want, wherever we are, and in front of anyone. We'll be making out like horny teenagers, and making up for lost time. And since that's more than twenty years, we'll be making up for lost time a lot." She wiggled her eyes at him, and he laughed.

"Well, I guess that not such a bad thing."

"And speaking of making up for lost time." She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor with the rest of the clothes. Jack swallowed a few times, taking in the beautiful sight before him. "We have the place to ourselves for a few hours. Why don't we make the most of it?"

"That sounds like a good idea." He removed the covers and let her climb into bed.

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An hour later they lay in each others arms catching their breaths.

"That was fun."

"Yeah that was…..wow." A few minutes passed by before their breathing returned to normal. Jack turned to look at Irina. "So, we're definitely telling the triplets today, right?" She smiled.

"Yes, absolutely." Jack was a little worried.

"You do think they'll be happy about it, right?" She caressed his cheek, and smiled lovingly at him.

"Of course they will, Jack. They'll be ecstatic. All they've ever wanted is for all of us to be a family. Believe me, they'll be thrilled with the news." She kissed him soundly on the lips. "I probably should've told them a few days ago that we're moving, but it'll be so much easier now that we're all going to live together. Just where are we going to live? Your apartment is a little too small for all five of us." He laughed a little.

"Yeah, it is. I thought we could look at a house. We can look online today, so that we'll know which one to buy, if we can find one. We can't very well stay at my tiny place for very long. We can look at houses now if you want?"

"It's only 9.00 and everyone won't be home for hours. I think we can find other more enjoyable ways to spend the time." She started to trail kisses up and down his chest.

"Well, you won't hear any arguments from me."

After spending another hour in bed and nearly an hour in the shower, Jack went to his bedroom to get some clean clothes. When he was just about to walk out of his room, he shook his head and laughed a little. Then he turned around and packed all his clothes down in his suitcases and brought them with him to Irina's bedroom.

"I thought I might as well bring everything with me, since I won't be sleeping in my own room anymore." Irina turned around when he started talking, and smiled broadly when she saw him standing there with his suitcases. She walked over to him and kissed him, before they walked downstairs.

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They'd had some fruit to eat, knowing that they'd have lunch soon, and were now lying on a blanket in the garden talking.

"So, any ideas for what kind of house you want us to get?"

"No, not really. Well, it has to have at least four bedrooms. One for us, and one for each of the triplets. And I kind of like the idea of them having a playroom. They've enjoyed it here, and we can always turn it into a guestroom later on."

"I'm certainly not going to deny my children anything. A house with five bedrooms it is."

"Well, maybe one with a few more. We need to have at least one or two guest rooms."

"What guests are we having over? Well, there's Sergei of course, but other than that everyone we know lives in town."

"The rooms will be nice to have for Christmas or Thanksgiving. In case Sydney and Nadia stay over, they each have a room they can stay in. And we can use one of the rooms for Isabelle and other future grandchildren, because I'm sure we'll be doing plenty of babysitting, whenever Sydney and Michael need a night to themselves."

"Don't say that." She looked at him a little confused. "As much as Sydney and Nadia don't like to know about our bedroom activities, I don't like knowing about theirs or even having it implied. And furthermore I can't believe you put Nadia and Eric in the same room. Putting Sydney and Vaughn in the same room is bad enough, but they're at least engaged." She broke out laughing.

"Jack, they're grown-ups. They're allowed to stay in the same room together."

"That's your opinion, not mine." She laughed even more, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're adorable." He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, you are. Just add it to the long list of great qualities about you." She kissed him soundly on the lips. "Now, getting back to the house. I wouldn't mind having a big kitchen and a big living room with a fireplace. I know it's LA, but I love fireplaces, and we've certainly had some nice times in front of the fireplace." She wiggled her eyes at him, and he laughed.

"Yeah, we certainly have. A fireplace it is. What about a room we can turn into a library? You love books, and even though I don't know if you'll be bringing all of the ones you have here, I'm sure you'll be buying plenty of books." She smiled broadly at how considered he was, and then she kissed him softly.

"Thank you. I'd love that." They laid on their sides caressing each others cheeks. "The house definitely also has to have a pool. And a Jacuzzi. Just think how much fun we'll have there after we put the triplets to bed."

"Oh we definitely have to have that." Their lips met, and Jack rolled Irina over, so she was lying on her back. They were too busy making out that they didn't hear the triplets coming over to them a few minutes later, looking at them confused.

"Mommy?"

"Daddy?"

"What's going on?"

Jack and Irina pulled apart immediately, and Jack's face turned red with embarrassment. Irina smiled lovingly and stroked Jack tenderly on the cheek, when they sat up. She looked at him.

"Busted. Time to tell them." She turned her attention to the triplets. "Come here and sit down." They walked closer and sat down on the blanket. "You know how I told you that I'd done something bad, which some people couldn't forgive me for?" They all nodded. "Well, it turns out that I have been forgiving for what I've done. But that also means that we have to move to America, because I have to work with daddy and your sisters." The triplets smiled and turned to look at their father.

"Does that mean we're moving in with you daddy?" Caitie was very excited as were her siblings.

"No." Their smiles immediately faded, and Jack thought he'd better explain faster. "You'll be moving into a house."

"Oh. Okay." That didn't help their mood, and Jack shook his head, and ran his hands over his face. Irina couldn't help but smile of his nervousness. Jack took a deep breath, looked at the triplets and smiled.

"I should've explained myself better. I live in a very small apartment. There's not enough room for the five of us. You might like to share a room now, but one day you'll want your own room. You wouldn't even have a room to share at my apartment. So therefore we're moving into a house. We'll be looking at one as soon as possible, and you can help us with that." The triplets smiled again, but they were a little hesitant.

"Does this mean you and mommy are back together? That we're going to be a real family?" Jack and Irina looked at each other smiling and then turned to look at the triplets.

"Yes, it does."

The triplets smiled even more, got up and threw their arms around their parents, knocking them back down on the blanket. They all snuggled closer together on the blanket, and Jack gave Irina a kiss that made the triplets giggle. Everyone else had watched their interaction and walked over to them a few minutes later. They all looked up, and the triplets were smiling from ear to ear.

"Mommy and daddy are back together."

"And we're all going to live together."

"We're all a family." Sydney and Nadia smiled broadly too.

"Yes, we are." The triplets got up and hugged their sisters, and then Jack and Irina got up too, and joined in the hug.

"Why don't we make a lunch basket and have a picnic at the playground?" They all nodded and the triplets were very excited.

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After having had lunch, they had all had fun at the playground. Sergei was taking a break to get something to drink from their basket and Jack followed him. When they looked at each other Sergei smiled at Jack.

"Jack, I can't tell you how happy I am for you and Irina. The triplets too. I'm so happy that you're finally a family. It's great for all of you." Jack smiled back.

"Thank you. I was wondering if you'd consider moving to LA with us." Sergei looked at him surprised. "You're the one who've been with the triplets their whole lives, and it's clear to everyone how much you love them. They love you too, and I would like for you to still play a great part in their lives. I haven't talked it over with Irina yet, but I'm sure she feels the same way."

"Jack, I appreciate the offer, and believe me I'll miss them like crazy. But they're your children. I don't want to overstep my welcome."

"You won't. You were there for Irina when she needed you, and you've been there for the triplets every step of the way. You're family to all of us, and you can never have too much family around. You could get a place of your own in the area of our house, and then spend time with them whenever you'd like. It would make me happy if you'd accept the offer, and I know it would make everyone else happy." Sergei smiled warmly at Jack and nodded.

"It sure wouldn't interfere with my work, which I must admit I'd like to do more of. I'll definitely consider it. Thank you for asking, Jack. It means a lot to me." He put out his hand to Jack, who shook it.

"Don't mention it." They turned around smiling at everyone else, who was having a great time.

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When they got home a few hours later, they all sat down by the computer together to look at houses. They looked at a few houses, and finally found the perfect one. It had eight bedrooms, plenty of bathrooms, a big kitchen, a huge living room with a fireplace, a room they could turn into a library, another one they could turn into an office, and a dinning room. It also had a basement with plenty of rooms, a big garden with a big pool and a Jacuzzi. It was overlooking the ocean, in a secluded area with the neighbors far apart. It was not that far from APO and also not that far from a good school. After making a few phone calls to the seller and bank, the house was theirs. They spent the rest of the afternoon slowly started packing some things down, finding out which things to bring and which things to leave, since they were keeping the house in Russia.

They were all in the kitchen making dinner later. Jack was at the stove and turned to Irina.

"Sweetheart, could you hand me the tomatoes?"

She looked at him smiling and then threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately and deeply. When they broke apart, they were both catching their breaths with Jack's face being a little flustered, and everyone else staring wide eyed at them. Jack looked at Irina a little confused. She took his face in her hands and whispered softly against his lips, so only he could hear.

"It's the first time you've called me sweetheart in years." He smiled back at her and gave her a soft kiss, before they returned with making dinner without paying any attention to everyone else. They were all still staring wide eyed at them, but then returned to making dinner as well.

Dinner went better than any of the other evenings, and the looks of love that passed between Jack and Irina didn't go unnoticed by everyone else. They spent a loving evening playing a cardboard game, and when it was usually the triplets' bedtime, Ethan looked up at his parents.

"Mommy and daddy can me, Caitie, and Maddie stay up a little longer and then sleep with you tonight?" Jack and Irina smiled at each other and then back at their son.

"Yes, you can." The triplets jumped up and down before giving their parents a hug.

They got in their pajamas, so that that was out of the way. They stayed up for awhile longer and when they started to get tired Jack and Irina knew it was time for bed. They could also use the sleep themselves having been through a couple of emotional days. They said goodnight to everyone else, who decided to stay up a little while longer. After they'd left Eric looked around at Nadia and Sydney.

"Well, if you need to talk to your parents, you know now that you can just walk right into their bedroom, without interrupting anything." He and Vaughn broke out laughing, Sergei rolled his eyes, while Nadia and Sydney picked up the cushions and started throwing them at them.

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Upstairs the others had gotten under the covers. The triplets were nearly sleeping.

"Goodnight mommy and daddy, I love you."

"Goodnight mommy and daddy. I love you too."

"I love you too. Goodnight mommy and daddy." Both Jack and Irina smiled in the darkness.

"Goodnight kids. I love you too." Jack gave each of them a kiss, and then Irina gave them each a kiss.

"I love you all too. Goodnight." Jack gave Irina a soft kiss on the lips.

"Goodnight Irina. I love you." Irina smiled.

"Goodnight Jack. I love you too." The triplets giggled a little and soon all of them were sleeping, snuggled closely together.

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Early in the morning Jack was woken by a small finger poking him. He smiled but kept his eyes shut.

"Daddy, wake up."

"Daddy's sleeping, Maddie." He felt a second small finger poking him.

"But you're talking, daddy."

"I talk in my sleep, Ethan." He had a hard time trying not to laugh, and the triplets were grinning at him.

"You're smiling, daddy." Now Caitie was poking him too.

"I smile in my sleep, Caitie." Then he felt Irina poking him too. They all kept poking him, but he still didn't open his eyes.

"Mommy, daddy's not waking up."

"Then I think you better tickle daddy." The triplets started to tickle Jack, and soon Irina joined them too. He was trying his best not to laugh, but he had a huge smile plastered on his face. Though, he still didn't open his eyes. The triplets were grinning.

"That doesn't work either, mommy."

"No, I can see that." She couldn't help but grin at Jack's expression and of the triplets too. "I think it's best if you shower him with kisses." They grinned and started kissing their father. After a few seconds Jack opened his eyes.

"Okay, I'm awake." He gave the triplets a kiss and then hugged all three tightly.

"Daddy, can we go to the playground now?" Jack looked over at the clock. 6.00 a.m. Then he looked at Irina, who was smiling, then the looked back at the triplets.

"Sure we can go."

"Can Sydney and Nadia come too?" Jack's smile suddenly grew bigger and more wicked.

"I think that's a great idea. Why don't you go to your room, and mommy and I will wake them up." All three got out of the bed quickly, excited about going to the playground. Irina was shaking her head at him.

"Jack, it's not fair to bring Sydney and Nadia. You should let them sleep."

"Oh no. If I'm getting up this early, so are they." They both laughed.

"Okay then. We better get up."

Irina barely got out of bed, before Jack threw her back down, climbed on top of her and pinned her down with his body. She looked at him totally confused, while he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You can poke me and tickle me, but you can't kiss me?" He grinned at her, and so did she, before she captured his lips kissing him passionately. After a few seconds Jack broke the kiss. "Okay, I think we better get up, before a certain body part of mine gets up." Irina grinned again, gave him a quick kiss, before they got out of bed. They dressed quickly and then stood outside Sydney's and Nadia's door. Jack was just about to walk into Sydney's room when he stopped and turned to Irina. "Why don't you wake both of them up, and I'll go and help the triplets." She looked at him confused. "I don't want to go in there, in case they're…you know."

"Naked, Jack?" She grinned when he closed his eyes shut.

"Don't say that." She grinned a little more, and then gave him a kiss.

"I'll wake them up. You just go and take care of the little ones." She went into Nadia's room, and gently woke her up. "Good morning, sweetheart. I need you to get up, and be downstairs in ten minutes."

Both Nadia and Eric woke up. When Eric saw Irina, he pulled the covers up to his chin, even though he was wearing a t-shirt. Irina laughed a little at him.

"Morning, mom. What time is it?" She looked at the time. "Why on earth do I need to be up at this hour?"

"You'll find out. Just get up." She kissed her head and went to wake up Sydney. Nadia looked confused at Eric, who just shrugged.

"You better do as she says."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one getting up."

"Yeah, I know." He snickered and Nadia threw her pillow in his face before getting up.

About ten minutes later both Sydney and Nadia met up with their parents and siblings down in the hall. They were still very sleepy.

"Okay, what's going on?" Sydney looked between her parents with half closed eyes. The triplets went over and took their sisters by their hands.

"We're all going to the playground." Before Sydney and Nadia could respond the triplets were dragging them out of the house. Jack and Irina followed grinning to themselves.

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Once at the playground the triplets ran off towards the swings immediately. Sydney and Nadia were about to sit down, when Jack stopped them.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Having a seat, so we can watch our siblings have fun."

"No, you're not. You're going to go play with your siblings. Your mother and I will sit down and watch you and then come and join you in a few minutes."

"Dad, you have got to be kidding."

"No, I'm not. Now go."

"We're grown-ups. You can't tell us what to do."

"I'm still your father, so yes I can. Now go." Sydney turned to her mother.

"Mom, would you knock some sense into him?"

"I agree with your father. You're currently living under my roof, and as long as you're doing that, you'll do as I say. And I say the same thing as your father. Now go play with your siblings."

"You can't be serious." Jack gave them half of his famous Bristow death glare, and Irina gave them half of her Derevko death glare. Sydney and Nadia laughed. "Nice try. That's not going to work on us."

"Yeah guys, you don't scare us." Jack and Irina simultaneously crossed their arms, with Jack giving them his full blown death glare and Irina doing the same with her death glare. Sydney and Nadia took a step back, with Nadia stepping behind Sydney a bit. "Okay, now I'm a little scared. I think we better go, Syd."

"Yeah, let's go." They quickly got away from their parents and on the way to their siblings, Sydney was shaking her head. "They should not be allowed to use those glares on their own children. It's not fair."

Jack and Irina sat down on the bench laughing. They sat there for a while watching their children having a good time.

"That really is a beautiful sight."

"It sure is." They looked at each other and then sat there kissing each other for a while. Caitie noticed them from a far and started giggling. Nadia looked at her.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Mommy and daddy are kissing." They all turned to look at their parents, and while Maddie and Ethan giggled too, Sydney and Nadia smiled broadly. A few minutes later Jack and Irina joined participating as much as their children. Caitie was standing beside her father and Nadia, and she looked up at Nadia. "Guess, what?"

"What?"

"Daddy is ticklish. See." She started to tickle Jack, who grinned a little.

"Let's see if you're ticklish too." Jack picked up Caitie and started to tickle her. She giggled and Nadia couldn't help but laugh. Jack looked at her. "Oh, you think that's funny? Well, let's see if you're ticklish too." He put Caitie down, grabbed a hold of Nadia and started to tickle her mercifully. She was laughing out loud.

"No, dad, stop. Stop. Dad, stop." She was laughing harder and harder and Jack kept on tickling her. Ethan and Maddie ran over to give their father a hand, while Sydney stood watching, laughing too.

"So, you think it's funny that your dad is tickling your sister? Well, don't forget that you're ticklish too." Irina started tickling Sydney, who started laughing as much as Nadia.

"Mom, stop. Mom." Irina showed as little mercy as Jack, and Caitie ran to help her mother. Soon it was the triplets who got tickled mercifully, and while Maddie and Ethan was tickling each other, Jack put and arm around Nadia.

"You know your mother is extremely ticklish too." They looked at each other, and then motioned for Maddie and Ethan to follow them.

Jack grabbed Irina from behind holding her down, while the others started tickling her. Sydney and Caitie quickly got in on the action, and Irina was screaming with laughter.

"Jack, I can't believe you. You know how much I hate being tickled."

"Yeah, why do you think we're tickling you."

They tickled Irina for a few more moments, and then they all tickled Jack. After a while they were all lying on the ground roaring with laughter. They stayed for a while longer before returning home with groceries for breakfast. Everyone else had gotten up by then and they all helped with breakfast.

As they were eating Irina looked around at everyone.

"I was wondering if everyone would like to come to the cemetery with me to visit my parents' gravesite?" They all stopped eating and looked at her. Slowly everyone smiled.

"Yes, mom, of course." Irina looked at Jack and received a warm and loving smile, and he answered her softly.

"Of course."

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Later they were all set to go, but were waiting for Jack down by the stairs in the hall. When he came down they all looked at him oddly.

"Dad, what's with the suit? It's really warm outside." Jack was wearing a black suit, gray shirt, and a black tie.

"I've never had the chance, pleasure, or honor of meeting my in-laws. I thought the least I could do was to dress for the occasion." He gave Irina a warm smile, and she wiped a tear from her eye, before she gave him a soft kiss.

"Thank you." He gave her a smile and then a quick kiss before they all left.

They picked up some flowers on their way there, and when they got there the triplets put some flowers on their grave first. They'd been there before. Then Irina stepped forward with Sydney.

"Mama, papa, this is Sydney." Sydney stepped forward, and placed some flowers on their grave. After that Nadia stepped forward. "This is Nadia." Nadia did the same as Sydney, and then Jack stepped forward. "And this is Jack. The man I love more than anything. The man I told you so much about." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he stepped all the way up to their grave. He knelt down putting flowers on their grave and spoke softly in Russian.

"Thank you for your daughter. I love her more than life itself, and I'll take good care of her. I promise." He stayed there for a few seconds more before standing up next to Irina, putting an arm around her. "Thank you for brining me here." She smiled back at him.

They stayed for a while longer. When they were nearly by the car Irina stopped.

"I'm just going to have a chat with the caretaker. I want to tell him that I'm moving and if he can pick up some flowers from time to time to put on their grave."

"Okay. You want me to come with you?"

"No, you all just go to the car and wait. I'll be there soon." They all nodded and as they went to the cars, Irina went to talk to the caretaker. After she finished, she walked to a gravesite that was out of sight from the cars. She knelt down by the tombstone. "Hi baby girl. I just came to tell you that I'm moving to America. Jack and I are back together. He got me a pardon, and I'll be working with him. I'll also be with my children. It'll probably be a while before I can come back to see you, but I've made arrangements to have flowers put on your grave from time to time. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go. Bye sweetheart."

She kissed the tip of her fingers and ran them over the name on the tombstone. Anastasia Derevko. A girl, who only lived to be little over a year old. After that Irina got up and walked to the cars.

**TBC**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

In the late afternoon that same day the triplets were sitting outside with their mother and sisters.

"Mommy, if we're moving with daddy to LA, what about uncle Sergei?" There was a little sadness to Maddie's voice, and Irina couldn't help but feel sad for them.

"Well, I think uncle Sergei will be staying here in Russia." They nodded, but were still a little sad. "He can come and visit us as much as he wants, and stay for as long as he wants. I'm sure you'll get to see him a lot, whenever he's not working." The triplets nodded their understanding.

"Actually, I'll be moving with you." They all turned when they heard Sergei standing behind them. He had listened to their conversation, and now took a seat next to them, turning his attention to the triplets. "Your father asked if I'd be interested in moving with you. Knowing how much you'd miss me and I'd miss you, it makes more sense that I move with you." The triplets were smiling from ear to ear. "I won't be living with you. I'll be getting a place of my own, but I'll see you all the time anyway." The triplets got out of their seats and went over to Sergei to give him a hug. Irina, Sydney, and Nadia were smiling too. "Why don't you go to the kitchen and give your father a hug too." They all watched as the triplets ran off towards the kitchen. Then Irina turned to look at Sergei. She was smiling.

"Jack really asked you to go?" Sergei smiled back.

"Yes, he did. I hadn't planned on going, because I didn't want to overstep my welcome. But seeing and hearing how sad the triplets were, I couldn't let them down, so I decided to come."

"Sergei you're family. You wouldn't be overstepping your welcome."

"That's exactly what Jack said." Irina smiled even more.

"I'm glad you decided to move with us." She reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I think I'll just go and thank your father." Sydney and Nadia smiled at Sergei.

"We're glad you decided to come too. That'll give us a chance to get to know you even better."

"Yes, it'll be nice to have an uncle around." They both grinned, while Sergei rolled his eyes at them.

"Very funny." He laughed a little too. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make, regarding work." He left as Eric joined them.

"Syd, Vaughn can't find one of Isabelle's shirts. He asked me to tell you, he needs your help." Sydney left and Eric sat down next to Nadia. "So, I hear Sergei is moving to LA with us."

"Yes, dad asked him. But he only just decided to go, when he saw how sad the triplets were about him not going."

"That's nice that he's going."

"Yeah, it is. But to be honest I can't help but be a little bit jealous of the triplets."

"How come?"

"It's got nothing to do with Sergei moving to LA. It's just that the triplets get to live with mom and dad. They get to grow up, having their parents around. I'm thrilled for them, but at the same time I'm a little jealous. I know I shouldn't be. I finally have the family, I've always wanted, and I couldn't be happier that mom and dad are back together. And for the first time today, I felt like we were a real family. We had such a great time at the playground. When dad started to tickle me, I felt like a little kid, and I realized just how lucky I am, to be part of this family." Eric put an arm around her and kissed her temple.

"It's okay to be jealous. Just remember that they don't love you any less. You'll get to have your one on one time alone with your parents."

"I know."

"Besides, it's probably best that you don't live with them." She looked at him curiously.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, can you just imagine what's going to go on in that house, after they put the triplets to bed? They do after all have more than twenty years to make up for." He started to laugh, while she covered her eyes with her hand.

"Eric, why do you always do that?"

"Because I love you, and I know it makes you happy that your parents are happy." She looked at him shaking her head, but letting out a small laugh.

"I love you too." She gave him a smile before she kissed him.

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Later in the evening when the triplets had gone to bed, everyone else continued to pack the things that needed to go with them to the new house. Irina found Jack sitting in her chair at the desk in her office.

"There you are. I wondered where you'd gone to. What are you doing?"

"I'm just making that contract, I told you about the other night. All it needs now, is your signature." He held out a pen for her, and motioned for her to sit in his lap. She shook her head smiling.

"You didn't?"

"Yes, I did, and I told you I would. Now sit and sign it." She sat down in his lap, read the contract, and then started to laugh a little.

"You even put the part in, where I'm not allowed to suffocate you."

"Of course. I need to insure my health." They both laughed.

"Well, I hope that means that I'm allowed to do other things to you." She started kissing him, moved her hands up and down his chest, and then started kissing him on the neck.

"You're stalling. Business first, pleasure later. Now sign the contract." He held the pen out for her, and when she was hesitant, he gave her a serious look. She smiled softly, took the pen, and received a soft smile in return. "Initials here and signature here." She signed the first and then he gave her one more. She looked at him curiously. "One contract for you, and one for me." She shook her head smiling before signing that one too. She took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes.

"How did I get to be so lucky to have you?" She kissed him tenderly, and then the kiss turned passionately. Needing to catch their breaths, she looked at him hungrily. "I believe you said something about pleasure after business." She crashed her lips on his again, and moments later they needed air again. Irina started to pull his shirt out of his pants, and he put his hands over hers stopping her.

"We can't. Not here. What if someone comes in?"

"Everyone is busy packing. They're all in the library, packing all of my books. They'll be busy for hours. No one will notice." He grinned at her.

"Thank goodness you have tons of books." She grinned back at him, and their lips met again. She removed his shirt and he removed hers. When he was just about to unhook her bra, they were interrupted.

"Are we supposed to do all th…..oh god" Sydney covered her eyes with her hand immediately, while Nadia stared wide eyes for a few seconds before she covered her eyes with her hand too.

"Why do you keep doing this to us?"

Jack was red in the face with embarrassment. He motioned for Irina to get off him quickly, so that he could find his shirt that was somewhere on the floor. When he found it he quickly put it on, while Irina put on her own shirt, but without rushing. She was smiling, amused by the whole situation.

"I could ask you girls the same question. You two really should learn to knock. You can remove your hands now. We've put our shirts on." They slowly removed their hands from their eyes, but quickly looked away a little.

"Dad, your shirt is inside out." Jack noticed and started to take it off. "No, dad, keep your shirt on." He rolled his eyes at them, and looked away from them too, still embarrassed. Just then Eric and Vaughn walked in. They only looked at them for a few seconds, before they put two and two together. Then they started laughing.

"I take it you girls were unlucky again? It seems you walked in on you parents being busy?" Sydney and Nadia stared angrily at Eric.

"I think you're right, Weiss. But I also think Jack and Irina were unlucky this time, because I think they were caught before they had too much fun." Irina nodded at Vaughn and Eric, which only made them laugh even more. Now it was Vaughn's turn to get an angry look. Nadia turned to look at her parents, though she was still uncomfortable.

"We have a lot of stuff to pack. So, you two are just going to have to wait and have….." She stopped herself and shook her head. "Never mind. Just come and help us pack. Right now." Sydney and Nadia left the office. Vaughn and Eric took on last look at Jack and Irina before they too left the office laughing. Irina looked at Jack apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I honestly thought they'd stay in the library." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"It's not your fault. We should've known better and locked the door." They grinned a little and both sighed. "I guess we better go and help with the packing."

"Yeah. But you should probably put your shirt on the right way." She winked at him. "I'll turn it inside out later, when we're alone in the bedroom with the door securely locked."

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The last couple of days in Russia were spent packing, going out shopping for things they'd bring to their new home, and enjoying their last days in the house. On the day they were leaving all their suitcases were in the hall ready to be taken to the cars. Irina looked at them and noticed a case with a lock, she hadn't seen before. When Jack entered the hall, she looked at him and pointed at the case.

"Jack, what's in that case there with the lock on it?" He looked at it.

"Weapons." She looked at him dumbfounded.

"What?"

"Weapons." He said it slower and clearer this time, and grinned when Irina rolled her eyes at him.

"I heard you the first time. I meant, why did you bring weapons?"

"Chase ordered us to. She was told about your pardoning agreement the day before we left, and she ordered us to bring them. She has no say in your pardoning agreement, but since she's the one more or less in charge of APO, she thought she did and therefore ordered us to bring them. She wanted to make sure we brought you back with us one way or another." Irina shook her head at how stupid that was.

"She honestly thought I'd run out on a pardoning agreement?" Jack just shrugged. "Just what would you have done, if I'd been so idiotic as to say no to the pardoning agreement?"

"I don't know. Told her that we came to the house and when you weren't home, we waited for two weeks, and then when you still didn't show, we went home?" They both laughed. "I told her you wouldn't run, but when she still wouldn't listen, I thought that agreeing to bring the weapons would make her shut up." She sighed.

"She's not likely to make things easy for me, is she?" He walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Probably not. But just remember that I'm the boss of APO, and not her. She'll drop by from time to time, but other than that, she shouldn't bother us much." She smiled at him.

"I like that you're the boss. Now as your wife, does that mean that I get special treatment?" She grinned a little and he laughed a little too.

"Absolutely not. You better behave yourself at work, or I might just have to reprimand you."

"Okay. Then I guess, I have to settle for being naughty at home." She winked at him and he gave her a kiss.

"I like the sound of that." They kissed again.

"So, any idea who the mystery person is that came to my defense, and helped with the pardoning agreement?" He shook his head.

"No, I have absolutely no idea. I know it's not Chase." They both laughed at that. "But honestly I haven't got a clue as to who it could be. But we'll find out at the meeting."

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A few hours later the cars were packed. They took one last look at the house and said goodbye. The plane ride had gone well in the CIA plane they'd traveled in, but when they landed trouble occurred. Jack went to answer the phone when it rang. When the phone conversation ended he looked out the window and shook his head angrily. Then he motioned for Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Sergei to join him, so the triplets wouldn't hear him.

"What is it, dad?" He motioned for them to look out of the window. They all stared wide eyed at the cars and marshals, who were waiting outside.

"What's going on, dad?"

"I don't know. But I intend to find out. You all stay here. If anything goes wrong and they start coming towards the plane and I'm not able to stop them, then you lock the door and don't let them in. Sydney, I'm putting you in charge. Eric, go tell the pilots about the situation. Irina and Sergei, I want you to go to the back of the plane and stay with the children. I don't want them to get alarmed." They all nodded and Jack got off the plane. He approached the marshals.

"Agent Bristow…"

"That's Director Bristow." Jack caught the marshal off before he could go any further. He never cared much about his title, but found it fortunate at this moment.

"Very well. Director Bristow, we're here to take Derevko into custody. We have the orders here, if you'd like to take a look for yourself." He handed Jack a piece of paper, which he read.

"This says the order came from Director Chase. I don't answer to Director Chase in the matter of Irina Derevko, I answer to Director Devlin. He put Irina Derevko in my custody. Now unless he has a say in this, I suggest you all turn around and leave." He handed the paper back to the marshal, being less than thrilled with Chase.

"He didn't, but these are our orders, and we intend to follow them." The marshals took one step closer towards the plane, but Jack got in the way. He put on his Bristow death glare and spoke in a low threatening voice.

"Take one step closer to the air plane, and I'll make sure that the only job you'll be doing for the CIA is cleaning toilets at Langley." The marshals stopped and took one step back. They eyed Jack. Although they weren't thrilled, they decided they had no other choice than to do as he said.

"Fine Director Bristow. Have it your way. But you can expect a phone call from Director Chase."

"You can be sure that she'll get a phone call from Director Devlin first." They stared at each other for another minute, before the marshals got in their cars and left.

Jack got out his cell phone and called Devlin explaining what had just been going on, and his personal relationship with Irina. When he got back on the plane after he finished his conversation, everyone, except for the small children, had gathered at the door to hear what happened.

"What was that all about?"

"Chase wanted to take your mother into custody. Devlin had nothing to do with it. I just called him, explaining everything and he's given us a week off, so that we can settle into the house. He said that if we needed to, we could get Marcus, Marshall, and Rachel to help out too."

"I can't believe her. What on earth is it going to take for her to lighten up?" Sydney shook her head as did everyone else. "Well, at least it was nice of Devlin to give us a week off. It'll be fun to help with the house." Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, and Sergei nodded.

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They all had dinner together at Sydney's place. Rachel had left a note saying she wouldn't be home until the morning. Later Jack, Irina, and the triplets went back to Jack's place, while Sergei spent the night at Eric's place. Jack was a little nervous about showing his place to the triplets. His apartment wasn't exactly homey.

"Well, this is it. It's not much."

"It's nice daddy." The triplets all looked around, and Maddie and Caitie nodded agreeing with their brother. Jack smiled at how easy they were to please. Irina gave him a kiss on the cheek having sensed that he had been a little nervous. He smiled at her too.

A little while later the triplets were fast asleep in Jack's bedroom. Jack and Irina would be sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. Right now they were making out on the couch.

"Why don't we move this down to the mattress? I know from experience that this couch isn't that comfortable to sleep on. We'll be much more comfortable there, and more comfortable without any clothes on."

"I offered you the bed last time you were here, remember?"

"Yes, you did, but you didn't offer yourself in it." The both grinned.

"Sweetheart, I'd love to, but we can't. The mattress might make sounds, and the triplets are sleeping right next to us."

"The kids are fast asleep and won't hear a thing. And if you're afraid that the mattress will make sounds, then we call always put the blankets and covers on the floor. We've done that before."

"I'm not sure we should risk it. I still think the triplets might hear. We're not that far away from them now, like we were at your house."

"Our house, Jack. It's our house now. And I'll make it worth the risk." He looked into her eyes that were filled with desire, and laughed a little.

"Well, how can I say no to that."

They weren't interrupted by the triplets, and early in the morning when the triplets came to snuggle, they were sleeping in their pajamas on the air mattress. However, they all walked back to the bedroom, seeing as the real bed would be better to sleep in. Sergei came to Jack's apartment in the morning to look after the triplets, when the others were going to the meeting to sign Irina's pardoning agreement.

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Jack and Irina walked down to the meeting room at the CIA office in LA. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Marcus, Marshall, and Rachel were already waiting for them. Sydney had called her father to let him know that they'd informed Marcus, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel about he and Irina. They had also told them about Irina's life, but hadn't mentioned anything about the triplets. They would all have dinner that evening, so Sydney and the others thought the triplets would be a surprise for them. Marcus, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel all gave Irina a short hug, and everyone shook hands with Jack. Devlin walked to them, and smiled at all of them. He reached his hand out to Irina and smiled.

"Good to see you again, Irina. I'm glad you're joining the CIA." She smiled back at him.

"It's good to see you too, Ben. And I'm happy to be joining the CIA. Thank you for everything you've done to get me my pardoning agreement."

"Well, most of the honor goes to the people here." He pointed to everyone, and then reached his hand out to Jack. "Hi Jack. Good to see you too."

"You too, Ben." Devlin gave everyone else a nod.

"I'll see you all inside in a minute. I'll have someone come and get you, when it's time." They all nodded, and as Devlin walked inside, Chase walked towards them looking anything but happy. She gave everyone a short nod.

"Jack. Miss Derevko." Jack took Irina's hand in his, and smirked a little at Chase.

"Actually that's Mrs. Bristow. We're still married, and will continue to stay married." That only seemed to piss off Chase even more, and she walked inside the meeting room without saying anything else. Irina smiled lovingly at Jack.

A few minutes later they were all called inside. The four people, who were part of approving Irina's pardoning agreement, were there, sitting by a table waiting for them. Chase was sitting at the table too, and Devlin was standing behind his seat at the table. They all took a seat and looked around a little puzzled. Devlin knew what they were thinking.

"I take it, you're all looking around for the fifth person, who helped in getting the pardoning agreement?" Everyone nodded. "Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer." He motioned for a guard to let in the person, from a side door.

Seconds later the person entered, leaving everyone dumbfounded. The person, who took a seat at the table, was one of the last persons, they ever thought would help out Irina. The person smiled at them.

"Hello all."

**TBC**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Everyone kept staring wide eyed, and Devlin thought he'd continue.

"I'm sure you all remember FBI Assistant Director Kendall." They all slowly started to nod, but still unable to believe that Kendall had come to Irina's defense. "Well, Assistant Director Kendall no longer works for the FBI, he's now CIA and will be working with you at APO as an assistant director to you Jack."

Jack immediately tensed a little, thinking that maybe Kendall had some hidden agenda about coming to Irina's defense, now that he'd be working at APO. Kendall smiled sincerely at everyone.

"I'm looking forward to working with all of you."

"Assistant Director Kendall won't be the only assistant director. Marcus Dixon will also be an assistant director. They will each have their area of responsibility, but everything still has to go through you, Jack." Jack nodded. "We can all go over that later, since we're here for the signing of the pardoning agreement." He turned his attention to Irina and smiled. "Irina, I assume you have no problems with the agreement?" She smiled back at him.

"No, sir, I do not."

"Good. In a week from today you'll be going through a couple of test, and we'll also test your combat skills. You'll go through everything that a normal agent has to go through. Though, your training will be much, much shorter. But since you're a highly trained agent yourself, I don't see that should be any problem."

"I'm sure getting to know how the CIA works won't be a problem, since she used to steal our secrets." Chase looked at Irina furiously.

"That's enough, Director Chase." Devlin didn't want to listen to anything she had to say. He'd called her yesterday after getting off the phone with Jack, and reprimanded her for going behind his back.

"May I be granted permission to speak?" Everyone turned to look Irina. Chase didn't really buy into her sincerity. Devlin and everyone else smiled at her.

"Of course. Go ahead."

"I honestly regret stealing government secrets. You might not believe that, but it's the truth. It was my job back then, and I thought I was doing my country proud. But my priority changed. When my oldest daughter was born, I stopped giving the KGB useful information. You might not believe that either, but if a lie detector test can prove anything, then I'm more than willing to go through one."

"Oh how incredible noble of you." The sarcasm was evident in Chase's voice.

"Director Chase, not another word. After the stunt you pulled yesterday, you're treading on very thin ice." Devlin gave her a stern look and then turned his attention back to Irina. "A lie detector test will be part of the tests you'll go through." She nodded and gave him another smile. "If there are no more questions, then I suggest you sign the pardoning agreement." He held out a pen for her, and she walked up to him and signed the agreement. After that he put out his hand to her. "Welcome to the CIA." She shook it and smiled sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm glad to be part of it." She shook hands with the others, except for Chase, who stood up and left the room. The other four members of the CIA left shortly after, and Devlin left too saying he'd be in touch. Kendall walked over and joined the others after everyone had hugged Irina. She turned around to face Kendall, and smiled. "I must admit it's quite a surprise that you came to my defense. But it's quite a pleasant surprise. Thank you very much." She put her hand out to him, and smiled sincerely. He shook her hand and smiled back at her sincerely.

"My pleasure. I look forward to working with you." He looked around at everyone else. "I look forward to working with all of you." Jack eyed him skeptically.

"Just what are you up to?" Kendall was a little taken aback by the tone in Jack voice, but then laughed a little.

"Jack, I can understand you think I have some hidden agenda behind helping Irina, but I assure you, I don't. I also don't have a problem with working for you, like I did in the past. I'm passed the animosity we had towards each other, and I'm honestly looking forward to working with all of you." Everyone but Irina eyed him suspiciously. He laughed a little again. "I'm sure in time you'll all see that I've changed. Well, I'll let you celebrate. I start work at APO in a couple of weeks. You all take care until then." He walked off leaving everyone dumbfounded of his sincerity, except for Irina.

"He can't honestly be serious. I know he helped you Syd, but still."

"I believe him." They all looked at Irina. "Seriously. I honestly do." Jack just shook his head.

"I have to see it to believe it." He looked at everyone. "I assume everyone has the address to our new house?" They all nodded and smiled. "Good. We don't have much furniture at the moment, but we'll get some tables and chairs together, so that we can have a barbecue outside. It's at 6.00."

"Barbecue?" Jack nodded at Marshall. "Oh, sorry. It's just you don't seem like the type, who's into barbecues." Marshall's started to get a little nervous. "Not that I really know what you're into. Uumm, food wise." Everyone grinned a little, except for Jack, who didn't really know what to say. Marshall thought he'd better change the subject, so he turned his attention to Irina. "Sydney told us that you two are still married." She nodded and smiled. "So, will you be agent Derevko or agent Bristow? It's just that some women like to keep their maiden name in their profession. Like Carrie for example. She didn't want to be Mrs. Flinkman at first. No, no, she insisted on being Ms. Bowman. But the name on our door says The Flinkmans, so I guess she came around. Actually, I don't know if she's come around. Maybe she still goes by the name Ms. Bowman. I mean she hasn't really had any reason to be Ms. Bowman for a long time, since she hasn't been working, but now that she'll be working for APO, maybe she'll go by Ms. Bowman at work." He started to think hard about his own words, and everyone couldn't help but be amused.

"You should probably ask her that. But as for myself, I'll be a Bristow in every way." She looked at Jack and smiled lovingly at him, and he at her. The rest of them, who hadn't been in Russia, were amazed by their display of affection. They were surprised too, and could see the evident changes in Jack. They looked around at each other and smiled.

"Well, we should probably all be going. We'll see you later." Dixon nodded at everyone and they each left the CIA building.

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The Bristow family, Vaughn, Eric, Isabelle, and Sergei spent the rest of the day shopping for things for the new house. They got some tables and chairs together so that they could sit outside, and also got some of the essentials for the kitchen and bathroom, so that they could have guests over. They also bought a huge grill, seeing as they'd be using it a lot, and with the amount of people that'd be eating every time they had a barbecue.

The doorbell rang and Jack went to open the door. Dixon, his children, Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, and Rachel all came at the same time.

"Hi, good to see you all. Come on in." They all stepped into the hall, shaking Jack's hand, and admired the house.

"Daddy, daddy." Everyone stared wide eyed as they watched Caitie running towards Jack. Jack smiled even more, and picked her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Mommy said the plastic cups are still in the car, and asked if you could get them."

"Of course, sweetheart." He noticed everyone staring at him and turned his attention towards them. "I guess I should introduce you. This is my daughter Caitie. Short for Caitlin." He looked back at Caitie. "I believe you recognize everyone from the pictures at Sydney's last night." She nodded. Everyone was still too stunned to say anything and Jack couldn't help but laugh a little. "Sweetheart, why don't you take Mitchell, Robin, and Stephen with you outside, and I'll send everyone along in a minute?"

"Okay, daddy." He gave her one more kiss on the cheek, before setting her down. "It's this way." She motioned for the children to follow her, which they did.

Jack turned his attention to everyone, who still stared dumbfounded at him. Finally Dixon was able to say something.

"You and Irina have another daughter?"

"Actually, we have two daughters more and a son." That only made everyone stare at him even more, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, imagine how I felt. But yes, we have triplets. Our other daughter's name is Maddie, short for Madeleine, and our son's name is Ethan."

"When were they conceived?" Everyone stared at Marshall not believing he'd asked that question. He immediately panicked a little. "Sorry. Of course that's none of my business." Jack smiled a little.

"Well, you'd probably figure it out anyway. It was during Sydney's missing years, when Irina and I worked together." They all nodded. "Look, why don't you all go out into the back yard. You just…well, there's Sydney. She can show you the way. I'll just go and get those plastic cups. Excuse me." He smiled at them and walked outside. Everyone turned their attention to Sydney, still not believing they'd just heard Jack telling them, he and Irina had triplets. Sydney grinned at their expression.

"Yeah, the rest of us couldn't believe it either when we showed up at mom's house, and three small children came home, wrapping themselves around dad's legs, calling him daddy. But it's true. Why don't you follow me, and I'll introduce you to my other sister and my brother. You'll also be meeting mom's cousin, who decided to move with us." They all stared at her a few seconds more, before they slowly followed her.

They all had a great evening and arranged to meet at the house in the morning to help out with the house.

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Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, Eric, Isabelle, and Sergei arrived at the house early in the morning, and walked right in since they knew Jack, Irina, and the triplets would already be there. They noticed Jack standing in the hall making the preparations to paint the hall, and they stood dead in their tracks looking at him.

"Good morning all." Jack noticed them looking at him oddly. "What's wrong?" Sydney pointed at him.

"Your clothes." Jack looked down at himself.

"What's wrong with my clothes? I might not have much of a fashion sense, but I do believe that white, khaki, and black go together."

"I don't think the colors are the problem, sweetheart." He turned to find Irina standing behind him smiling. Then he turned back towards the others, and noticed them shaking their heads.

"Well, if it's not the colors, then just what is the problem with my clothes?"

"Dad, you're wearing shorts."

"And flip-flop sandals." He rolled their eyes at them.

"Is that what's got you staring wide eyed at me?"

"Yeah, dad. I mean, you never wear shorts."

"Or flip-flop sandals." He grinned a little at them.

"No, I must admit, I haven't worn this in years. But I did years ago, when you were younger, Sydney. I used to change into shorts a lot of the time, when I managed to get home from work early in the afternoon. At least when we lived in LA." Sydney and Nadia smiled back at him, realizing that he indeed was changing more and more, and they were seeing the man he used to be. "So, if you've all gotten over your shock, then maybe we can get to work." They all nodded and soon they were busy working. When the others arrived, they too stared wide eyed at Jack, but once the shock had settled, they too started to work.

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On the second day at the house Jack was putting on a second coat of paint in the master bedroom. Irina stood watching him at the door.

"Aren't you hot, Jack?" Jack turned around and looked at her a little confused.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Why?" She walked inside and locked the door.

"Then it must be me who think you look hot. Are you sure, you wouldn't rather be rid of that shirt? Not to mention the rest of your clothes." She walked towards him slowly with a seductive glimpse in her eyes. Jack caught on.

"Now hang on. Irina, we can't. Everyone is working around the house. Some of them are even working up here."

"Jack, I just locked the door. Besides this is our bedroom. I think it's time that we inaugu….." She slipped on a big stain of paint that had spilled on the plastic covering the hardwood floor. When she fell, she tipped a bucket of paint that spilled next to her. In her attempt to get up, she ended up rolling around in the paint a little, covering her hands and some of her clothes. She was grinning too hard that she was unable to get up. Jack went over to give her a hand, but when he reached his hand out for her to take, she pulled him down. He fell on top of her, and she left two hand prints on his butt. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. It took a while before they stopped laughing. "Now as I was saying. I locked the door. Everyone will think that I'm just helping you paint, which I'll do as soon as we've taking care a more pressing matter." He shook his heard at her grinning.

"Can we at least roll away from this paint we're rolling around in?"

"Of course." They kissed passionately and deeply, before rolling off to the side.

Nearly forty-five minutes later they were getting dressed.

"God, look at us."

"Everyone knows that painting is a messy job, Jack. No one will be able to tell. We'll just say that we spilled a bucket of paint, which isn't a lie."

"How do you explain our flustered faces?"

"We'll blame it on the paint fumes and the warm weather." She gave him one more kiss, before reaching her hand out to him. He was a little hesitant, but decided that it would probably work.

They walked downstairs and found everyone is the back yard taking a break. Everyone immediately noticed them looking a little red in the face, and Sydney and Nadia started to get a little uncomfortable. Vaughn cocked an eyebrow at them.

"What have you two been doing?"

"Painting the bedroom."

"Really?" He wasn't convinced.

"Yes, really. It's on the second floor and is facing the south side. It's incredibly hot up there, and the paint fumes aren't making it any better." They eyed Irina a little, but when they thought she was telling the truth, they all nodded and poured Jack and Irina a glass of ice-tea.

It didn't take long for Eric to start laughing. He'd been inside, and had watched the whole thing from the door leading out. He was also the only one, who was able to see the hand prints on Jack's butt. They all looked at Eric. Jack only turned his head a little, still having his back turned so only Eric could see.

"Paint fumes and hot weather, huh?" Jack and Irina both nodded. "And painting is all you've been doing?" They nodded again. Eric walked closer to Jack and turned him around to face the others. "Then how do you explain the hand prints on your butt, Jack?" Jack stiffened and Irina grinned a little and then smiled shyly. Everyone but Vaughn and Carrie stared wide eyed at them. Vaughn started to laugh and Carrie gave Irina a thumb's up before starting to laugh too. Sydney and Nadia looked away and shook their heads. Dixon stared for a minute, but then started to grin. Rachel did the same, while Marshall seemed rather nervous, and looked away not really knowing what to do. "Yeah, you two aren't fooling anyone." Luckily the children were off playing.

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For the rest of the week that they worked on the house, Sydney and Nadia made sure that one of them was with one of their parents at all times. They moved in two days before Irina would be starting on her tests. They had a house warming party, where they invited the same people who'd helped with the house. Will Tippin was in LA visiting and was asked to the party as well. Just like everyone else, he was shocked to learn that Jack and Irina had triplets, and to see the changes in Jack.

After their last day off, everyone returned to work and Irina started on her tests. Nearly two weeks had gone by and she was studying for her last test. Jack woke up and looked at the clock. It was nearly 3.00 a.m. He felt the spot in bed next to him, but it was empty. He hadn't really been able to sleep much, since Irina had said she would be staying up, reading over the material one last time. That had been at 11.00. Being used to her sleeping next to him again, he wasn't able to sleep well without her by his side. He got out of bed in search of her.

He found her where he'd left her, in the living room sitting on the floor with papers, books, and notes scattered all over the floor. She was busy and didn't look up when he entered the room. He ran a hand over his head, still being very tired.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing up? It's nearly 3.00." She looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm studying. What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep when you're not next to me." He sat down next to her, and she gave him a kiss.

"You're sweet."

"Yes, and tired and missing my wife. Now come back to bed."

"Jack, I'd love to, but I need to go over this. I need to get the test right tomorrow."

"Irina, you're the smartest person I know. You know all this stuff by heart. There's no need to study anymore." She gave him another kiss and looked at him lovingly.

"Please, sweetheart, it's important." He smiled at her.

"It's just like back at university when you studied for your exams. You'd known it all by heart, but still you'd be studying like crazy, because you wanted to get it completely right. Nothing's changed, has it?" He smiled at her, and she shook her head. He caressed her cheek, and then gave her a long lingering kiss. "I'll let you get back to your books." He stood up and walked over to the couch to get a cushion and a blanket. Then he walked back to Irina, put the pillow down next to her, and lay down on the floor, covering himself with the blanket.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"You need to study, and I need to sleep. I can't sleep without you, so I'm sleeping here." She smiled at him.

"You would be more comfortable on the couch."

"Yes, but I'm closer to you here on the floor." He looked up at her smiling through nearly closed eyes. She smiled back at him, and bent her head down and gave him a kiss.

"I love you." She gave him another kiss and caressed his cheek.

"I love you too." He gave her one last look before he turned to his side. Soon he was fast asleep with the help of Irina, who'd gently been caressing his cheek.

When the triplets woke up early and couldn't find their parents in their bedroom, they went in search of them. They found them in the living room sleeping in each others arms on the floor. They smiled at each other and went to snuggle with their parents, like they'd done every morning, since finding out their parents were back together.

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After Irina had taken the test, she was walking around nervously waiting for the results. Jack was waiting with her, and although he'd tried his best to calm her down, she was still pacing around the hall. Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric joined them knowing that Irina was about to get the results.

"Hi, dad. What's wrong with mom?"

"She's nervous."

"Mom's nervous?" They all looked at Jack, not believing what he'd just said, but he simply nodded at them.

"Should we talk to her?"

"No, best leave her be. She was this way waiting for her exam results at university." They smiled at him and then sat down next to him.

Nearly twenty minutes later Devlin walked out. Irina immediately turned around and walked over to him, and everyone walked over to him too. Devlin smiled.

"Perfect score. You're officially an agent with the CIA. Welcome, agent Bristow." He reached his hand out to her, but Irina was too happy that instead of shaking his hand, she threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. Devlin was bit surprised at first, but then laughed. Irina pulled back a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

"Don't worry about it. Nothing wrong with a hug now and again." They laughed at each other, as did everyone else, and then Irina turned around to look at Jack. He was smiling broadly at her. She took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly on the lips. "Nothing wrong with a kiss either." Devlin couldn't help but smile, and grinned a little when Jack and Irina broke the kiss, and Jack was smiling shyly. She smiled at him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly on the lips again. When they broke apart they smiled at each other and then hugged. Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear.

"I told you, you'd make it." After their hug ended, everyone else hugged Irina.

Later in the evening they all went out to dinner with the triplets, Isabelle, and Sergei celebrating Irina. Tomorrow she'd start at APO, and get her official papers identifying her as an agent with the CIA.

**TBC**


	38. Chapter 38

**narf42: **Yeah, they probably could use that - at least if Sydney and Nadia had their way. *lol* Thank you for reading and replying - that means so much to me. :-)

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**Chapter 38**

The next day, when Jack and Irina had arrived at APO, every agent with the exception of the ones who knew Irina personally, had been a little scared of her. She had greeted everyone, smiling warmly and sincerely, but still people were a little hesitant. She didn't want to scare them, so she kept her distance, and let them come to her, if they wanted to talk.

In the course of the next three hours before Chase arrived, the agents had all calmed somewhat down, and had slowly begun talking to Irina. Now everyone was gathered to hear what Chase had to say.

"As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, there are going to be some changes here at APO. We have quite a few new members joining us." Her voice held no warmness, but was very businesslike. "Agent Jack Bristow will remain director of APO. He'll have two assistant directors, who'll each have their own areas of responsibility, but Director Bristow will be in charge overall. One of the assistant directors is someone you already know. Agent Marcus Dixon." Dixon gave a nod around the room, and a small smile. "The other assistant director some of you know. He's former FBI, but is now CIA. Agent James Kendall." Kendall smiled sincerely around at everyone.

"Looking forward to working with you all." Everyone smiled back at him, but Jack still wasn't convinced of his sincerity.

"Moving on. One, of our older agents, has decided to change her name to her true name. The agent you've formally known as Nadia Santos, is now Nadia Bristow." Nadia walked up to Chase to get her new identification papers, and Jack and Irina couldn't help but smile proudly. Chase gave Nadia a short nod, and then turned her attention to the crowd of people again. "Now on to two new members. The first one some of you know too. Agent Carrie Flinkman." Like Nadia, Carrie walked up to Chase to get her papers, got the same treatment from Chase that Nadia did, and then turned around and smiled at everyone. Then Chase faced everyone again. "The last member to join APO is Irina Bristow." Irina walked over to Chase to get her papers. She gave Chase a soft, sincere smile, but all she received in return was a stern look, and her papers were nearly thrown in her hands. Irina didn't want to do anything to upset Chase any further, so she just gave her a nod, still smiling and then turned to smile at everyone else. "That's it. Now back to work." Chase turned on her heels and left APO.

Jack was less than thrilled with Chase's behavior towards Irina, and was glad she left. He quickly smiled when he saw how happy Irina and Nadia were, showing off their identifications papers. They all went back to business, and it was clear to everyone how happy Irina was to be working at APO.

Later in the day she went to get a cup of coffee, and found Kendall getting a cup for himself. He looked up at her when she came over and smiled.

"Would you like a cup too?" She smiled back.

"Yes, thank you." He poured her a cup, and then indicated if she needed cream or sugar. "No, I take it plain. Thanks." Kendall looked around to see if Dixon was nearby. When he wasn't, he felt comfortable enough to discuss Chase, though he still spoke quietly.

"I take it you're not one of Chase's favorite people?"

"No, it would seem I'm not. I probably shouldn't blame her."

"Oh come on. It's been proven that you never killed all those agents that we always thought you did. And you helped end Rambaldi and bring down some of our enemies. You were practically responsible for that yourself." Irina smiled sincerely.

"I think you give me too much credit." He laughed a little.

"You worked on the inside, found the cave, and broke the Sphere, which was the main key to make Rambaldi's greatest work come to life. You did more than your fair share of the work, and still Chase can't get passed her animosity towards you. I don't get it."

"Well, to be honest I'd like for her to be a little friendlier, but it'll probably take a while, as I'm sure it'll take for a lot of people."

"If everyone else can come around, and I believe a lot already have, then she should too. She's got nothing on you, and you've never done anything to her personally. Honestly, the woman takes her job way to seriously." Irina was a little surprised to hear him say that, and couldn't help but laugh a little. He smiled back at her. "I told you, I'd changed."

Jack noticed Irina and Kendall talking. He immediately got a little suspicious and curious, and walked over to them.

"Hi Jack. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Kendall smiled at Jack, and Irina turned around to face Jack. He was still a little suspicious of the good mood.

"What's going on here?"

"I'm hitting on your wife." Jack stared a little wide eyed at Kendall. Irina laughed, while Kendall rolled his eyes at Jack. "I'm kidding, Jack. Geez, where's your sense of humor? We're just talking over a cup of coffee. Now would you like a cup?" Irina shook her head at Jack at how silly he was being, when her laughter had subsided. Jack gave Kendall an un-amused glare.

"Yes, thank you. Plain." Jack got his cup of coffee and still glared a little at Kendall, not really knowing what to think of him. Kendall sensed that and rolled his eyes at him grinning.

"Why don't I leave the two of you alone and get back to work." He walked passed them, but then turned around and looked at them sincerely. "I'm sorry I never told you that Sydney was alive, those years ago. I know what it did to especially you, Jack, and I can only imagine what you must have gone through too, Irina. But you both know what it's like in our line of work. We sometimes have to keep secrets from the people closest to us." Irina gave him a warm smile and a nod, but Jack wasn't so friendly.

"Regardless of our line of work that was our daughter. Her own parents deserved to know she was alive." Kendall nodded.

"I know, Jack, I know. But just think of what you would've missed out on, if I had told you." Jack looked at him confused and Kendall smiled sincerely. "You probably wouldn't have had those triplets that I've heard talk about around the office." Jack eased a bit. "I've heard how adorable they are, and I think it would be a shame if they didn't exist." He gave them another smile before he left.

"He's really not that bad, Jack. He's changed. And however wrong it was of him not to tell you, Sydney was alive, I have to agree with him. It would be a shame if the triplets didn't exist." He faced her and smiled back at her.

"Okay, so I'll agree with him on that point." She leaned in to give him a kiss, but he took a step back. "Irina, I know you said, you'd kiss me whenever you wanted, wherever we are, and in front of anyone, but this is our workplace. There has to be limits. And besides, I told you that you don't get special treatment. You don't see other women kissing me, do you?"

"No, and other women better not kiss you." He grinned.

"Don't worry, they won't." He spoke a little more serious. "But please, can we just concentrate on work when we're here? At least until everyone gets comfortable with you around and the fact that we're married." She nodded her understanding.

"Of course Jack. You're the boss." She smiled a little wicked at him. "So, does that mean that one day, I'll be able to kiss you out here in front of everyone, and also have my way with you on the desk in your office?" He stared a little wide eyed at her and then swallowed.

"I think, I can agree to the first part, but I don't see the last part happening." She walked closer to him. Her hot breath left him a little weak in the knees, as she whispered in his ear.

"Too bad. Just thinking about that leaves me warm all over, and wild with desire for you. The thought of taking you over and over and over again on your desk, is such a turn on." She took a step back and shrugged. "But if you don't want me, I guess I can't do anything about it." She was about to walk away, but Jack grabbed her arm gently. He was breathing a little faster.

"Oh I want you alright. I'll show you tonight just how much I want you, and I'll show you over and over and over again." She wiggled her eyes at him.

"We can always try out the desk in our office. That hasn't been christened yet." He swallowed thinking about that, while she grinned a little.

"I think that sounds like a good idea." She licked her lips.

"I'm looking forward to it already." She winked at him. "I better get back to work. I'd hate to work late tonight." She winked at him again, before she left. Jack had to swallow a few times. He then looked around to see if anyone had been looking at them. When it didn't seem like it, he took a couple of deep breaths and returned to work himself.

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A couple of days later Sergei had bought a place and moved into, and Rachel had also moved into an apartment of her own. She still hadn't decided on whether she should stay or not, but thought it'd be best to move out of Sydney's place, seeing as it was getting quite crowded.

At APO Irina noticed Sydney and Nadia talking together. It seemed like they were discussing something, so Irina went to see what was going on.

"Nadia, I'm telling you, it's not a problem."

"Hi, girls. What's up?" They both turned to face their mother.

"Nadia feels she has to move out. She feels she's getting in the way."

"Sydney, I _am_ in the way. You should live there alone with Vaughn and Isabelle. I've stayed long enough."

"Stayed long enough? You make it sound like you're a guest. The place is as much your home as it is mine. If you want to move out, then I'm not going to stand in your way. But don't move out, because you feel you're in the way. You're not in the way, and Vaughn doesn't think so either. Just think about it." Nadia nodded. "I have to go. I have some things to take care off, and then I'm picking up Isabelle. Bye you two." She gave both her sister and her mother a hug, before she left. Irina turned to Nadia.

"She's right. You're not a guest, and if they truly wanted you to move out, they'd tell you."

"I know, mom. But they're a family and they deserve to have the place to themselves. I should be getting a place of my own. I should already have started looking when we got back from Mongolia, or at least when we got back from Russia. I just think that the sooner I move out, the better. Though, it's not really going to be easy finding a place just like that."

"Have you talked about this with Eric? He'd probably ask you to move in with him." Nadia smiled.

"No, I haven't. I have no doubt that he'd ask me, but I also just feel like I should live on my own for a while. But I really should've looked for a place a long time ago, because I really don't want to stay at Sydney's much longer. Regardless of what she says, I still feel like the place is a little crowded with me there."

"Well, if you really want to move out, why don't you move in with your father and me for a while, until you find a place of your own? We'll help you financially, so all you would have to do is find a place you like, and if you find that quickly, then you wouldn't be living with us for that long." Nadia smiled shyly.

"I don't know, mom. I think I'm a little too old to be living with my parents." Irina gave her a loving smile.

"Sweetheart, if I had my way, all my children would be living with me. At least for a little while. I've missed out on your entire life, and it's not much different with Sydney. I think it'd be fun if you both lived at home. But of course, Sydney has Michael and Isabelle. But you could move in for a little while. I'm not forcing you to. If you don't want to, then that's perfectly fine."

"Well, to be honest, I am a little jealous of the triplets that they get to grow up with you and dad around." Nadia immediately regretted saying that, and looked at her mother apologetically. "I'm sorry, mom, I didn't mean that. I know that you had to leave to protect dad and Sydney, and that you were unable to keep me. I'm not bitter or anything and I don't hold it against you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, sweetheart. I know you didn't mean it like that. And it's perfectly natural for you to feel the way you do. I'll always regret not taking the chance and telling your father the truth. But we can't change the past. All we can do is move forward together as a family." Nadia smiled and nodded. "But the offer still stands. If you want to move in with us for a little while, then you're more than welcome."

"You don't think dad would mind?" Irina took Nadia's face in her hands, looked her directly in the eyes to reassure her.

"Of course not, sweetheart. Your father and I both love you very, very much. Please don't doubt that. He would love for you to move in, just as much as me. Although you've only been with us as an adult, he still thinks of you as he's little girl. You and Sydney both, and that's never going to change." Nadia smiled even more.

"I don't doubt your love for me. Honestly, I don't." Irina smiled back at her and kissed her cheek. "I think I would like to move in with you guys for a while. That also gives me a chance to spend time with the triplets. Thank you, mom."

"Don't mention it. Your father and I would do anything for you kids." They hugged each other tight. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too, mom." When they let go of each other, and Nadia spotted Eric, she immediately felt a little uncomfortable moving in with her parents. Irina saw there was something wrong, and looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Um, I just remembered something Eric said to me in Russia." Irina motioned for her to go on. "Well, I told him how I was a little jealous of the triplets, and he said it was probably a good idea that I didn't live with you and dad, because of what might go on in the house after the triplets have gone to bed." She grimaced a little, remembering the times she'd walked in on her parents and Eric's constant teasing. Irina couldn't help but laugh. She knew exactly what Nadia was referring to.

"I promise you that as long as you live with us, we'll only have that kind of fun in the bedroom. Or at least we'll wait until you've gone to bed, should we decide to have fun other places in the house or outside." Nadia closed her eyes shut.

"Mom, please. I don't want to know." Irina laughed again, and then spoke sincerely.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but your father and I love each other very much. And now that we're together it's only natural, we want to express that love all the time." Nadia opened her eyes and smiled a little.

"Yeah, I can understand that. And of course I'm thrilled that you're together, but I just don't need to know when you're together like that." Irina laughed again.

"Then I won't mention anything about it." Nadia smiled. "I'll just bring it up again once you've moved out." Irina winked at Nadia, who just shut her eyes again, and shook her head. She put an arm around Nadia. "Come on. Let's go tell your father that you're moving in."

When they walked into Jack's office, he looked up and immediately smiled.

"What brings two of my favorite girls to see me?" He received two huge smiles in return.

"Nadia feels like Sydney's place is getting a little crowded, so she'll be moving in with us until she finds a place of her own." Jack got up from his chair and walked around his desk to give Nadia a hug.

"I'm happy to hear that." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Stay as long as you want. There's no rush for you to find a place of your own right away."

"Thanks, dad."

"Sure. I'm sorry, but I'm a bit busy now, so we'll have to discuss details later." She nodded and he gave her another kiss, before she left. Jack and Irina looked at each other smiling. "I'm glad she'll be staying with us for a while."

"Me too." She walked a little closer to him. "She's a little jealous of the triplets, because they get to grow up with us around. She knows we love her, and doesn't doubt that, but we should pay extra attention to her. I think the same goes for Sydney. She's not exactly in the same situation as Nadia. She had both of us for the first six years of her life, but still." Jack nodded understanding what she meant.

"It's understandable that she feels that way." Irina nodded. "We'll just have to make sure that we pay as much attention to them as we do with the triplets. We can always go out for lunch with them from time to time, when we're at work. We can either go all four, or I can take one out and you the other, and then we'll trade. We'll figure out a way for us to spend time with them just the four of us out of the office." She nodded, smiled and gave him a quick kiss before he had time to react. He immediately looked around outside.

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself, and no one really seemed to be watching." She spoke a little more huskily. "But feel free to reprimand me, if you think I've been a bad girl." He stepped even closer to her, with their faces only inches apart.

"I definitely think you need to cool off, so I'll reprimand you tonight in the pool." They looked at each other, eyes filled with lust.

"I'll be looking forward to that all day."

"Me too." He cocked an eyebrow at her, and put on a mock business attitude. "Now get back to work." She grinned a little.

"Certainly, Director."

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Two days later everyone was gathered in Marshall's office. He had some new technical equipment he needed to show everyone. When they were done and about to leave, Kendall pointed to a picture of Mitchell that Marshall had on his desk.

"I take it this is your son?" Everyone looked at Kendall surprised.

"Uh yes that's our boy. Mitchell or Mitch." Kendall smiled.

"He looks adorable, and looks as lovely as his mother." Carrie looked a little oddly at Kendall.

"Um, thank you. That's kind of you to say." He smiled at her again, and was about to leave when Eric stopped him.

"Okay, what gives? I think I speak for all of us, when I say that you're acting completely out of character. You're acting nothing like you used to years ago. What made you change?" Kendall smiled sincerely at everyone.

"My brother made me change." Jack looked at him curiously.

"Your brother made you change? I think you need to explain yourself a little better."

"I had a twelve year younger brother. Due to the big gap in age between us, we were never really close. I must admit that I never really paid much attention to him when he was younger. I had my friends and my interests, and didn't want to be bothered with a kid brother. That stuck with me as we got older too. He tried to reach out to me several times, but I just couldn't be bothered. He never turned his back on me, and invited me to his wedding, even though we hadn't seen each other in years. I turned him down, saying I had to work." He started to get a little sadder in his voice. "Nearly two years ago, he looked me up and told me he was dying. He had cancer and the doctors told him, he only had about six to twelve months left to live. He begged me to spend time with him. His biggest wish was for us to be like real brothers. To be close. I was suddenly filled with guilt of how badly I'd behaved towards him through his entire life, so I took time off from work as much as I could. We spent the next four months getting to know each other, and I met his wife, and his two children. His nearly two year old son, and his three months old son. When I met them that's when it really hit home, and it broke my heart to know that those two boys would never have their father in their lives." He swallowed a couple of times of the memory. "After those four months he started to deteriorate fast, and three months later he died. I've known my brother his whole life, but because of my stupidity I only knew him for seven months. Only four months really. Losing my brother changed me." He looked at Jack. "I know that you and Irina worked together to find Sydney's killers and that you let her go in Sovogda. When you were in prison for associating with her, you never once gave her up. You always denied having been in contact with her. And since you risked your freedom again to work with her to take down Rambaldi, I think it was quite obvious that you still had feelings for each other." Jack looked at him a little surprised. "I thought that you all deserved to be together and that you deserved a shot at being a family. Sydney and Nadia deserved to have both their parents in their lives, and not just their mother once in a while." Jack shook his head a little, not quite believing what Kendall had just told them.

"So out of the goodness of your heart, you decided to help Irina get a pardon, so that we could all be together?" Kendall nodded.

"Yes that, and the fact that it's just good business sense." They all looked at him a little oddly, and he couldn't help but laugh a little. "It just makes more sense to have someone as smart as Irina and with her skills working for the CIA, rather than have her living in hiding somewhere." Irina smiled at him.

"Thank you." He nodded in return.

"Look, think what you'd like of me. But my brother's death changed me. My work became less important, and I started focusing on more important things. My sister-in-law is Australian. Her and my brother met there, and lived there for a while, because he worked there. His work eventually brought him back here, but she was always most comfortable in Australia. So, we had my brother buried there, and she now lives there with her sons. I don't get to see them that often, and talking on the phone is not the same. So, since I can't be with my own family much, I thought I could at least bring another family together." He looked at Jack again. "I honestly don't have a hidden agenda. If you want me to go through a lie detector to prove that I'm telling the truth, then by all means do it." Jack shook his head, and took on a more neutral expression.

"No that won't be necessary." He gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your help." Kendall smiled at him in return.

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure."

"I'm sorry about your brother." Kendall turned to Irina, who gave him a sincere and soft smile. He gave her the same sincere smile and noticed that he got the same kind of smiles from everyone else, and that they nodded.

"Thank you all. That means a lot. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a phone meeting with Washington I need to get to." He gave them one last smile before he left.

Everyone looked around at each other still a little surprised with Kendall. But they could also see that he'd changed. They looked around at each other for a little while longer before they all went their separate ways.

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Around dinner time, Jack returned home from work. It was Nadia's first night at the house, and he walked into the kitchen finding her and Irina cooking, while the triplets were coloring. He was leaning on the doorframe and smiled.

"Well, this is a beautiful sight." Everyone looked at him and smiled. Irina cocked an eyebrow at him in mock seriousness.

"Just what is that supposed to mean? That the women belong in the kitchen cooking?" He grinned at her and she grinned at him. He walked over to her.

"No, I meant that it's a beautiful sight that the family is together. Well, most of it anyway." He was in front of her by now and kissed her. Nadia couldn't help but smile. It felt good to be there. Jack walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi, dad." He walked over to the triplets and gave them all a kiss as well, and looked at what they were coloring for a few seconds.

"I'll just go and change." He came back a few minutes later, and walked to Irina and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Nadia looked at them fascinated by their display of affection. "So, can I have a taste?"

"No, you'll just have to wait."

"But I'm hungry." He reached his hand out to get his hand on a piece of broccoli, but she gently slapped his hand away, and laughed.

"Dinner will be ready shortly. You'll just have to wait until then."

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll just see about that." He took hold of her arms, spun her around and started dancing with her. When they were away from the stove, he spun her out of his arms in the direction of the door, and then went back to the stove to get something to eat. Irina laughed, as did Nadia and the triplets.

"Jack." She protested through her laughter. "Nadia, stop your father. He needs to learn how to wait." She was about to stop him, but he grabbed her arms too, and started dancing with her, before she got the same treatment as her mother, and ended up over by her. That only made them all laugh even more, and Jack went on to eat a piece of carrot. "Oh you asked for it now, sweetheart." She looked over at the triplets. "Let's get daddy." They ran out of their seats towards their father, and Irina and Nadia also ran towards him. He didn't really try to get away from them. It only seemed like it. Irina held him as the others tickled him, and in the end he gave in.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry I ate the food." He put his hands up in surrender and they stopped tickling him. Irina smiled at him.

"Good. Now set the table." He made motion to go and get the dishes, but then quickly turned around to the stove, and had another piece of carrot."

"Jack." He just shrugged and laughed. Everyone else laughed too. "Table. Now mister." He walked back passed her and she swatted his butt playfully. Nadia was more and more happy about being at the house.

All through dinner Jack was looking around at his family. He couldn't be happier and it felt great to come home from work and be greeted by the triplets, and on most days Irina too, when they didn't come home from work together. It was also great to have Nadia there. He looked over at Irina. They had a great life now, but there was something missing. He knew what it was and smiled to himself.

After dinner he excused himself for a little while, saying he had to make a call to Washington that couldn't wait until the morning. Not believing anything differently, Irina and Nadia smiled at him, saying they'd take care of the dishes. The triplets went back to coloring. In their office he sat down in the chair and smiled to himself before picking up the phone. The phone call wasn't to Washington. It was something much more important.

**TBC**


	39. Chapter 39

**SofiaBlackBristow: **Thank you for thinking it's perfect - you're too kind. :-) I'm still thrilled to hear that you love my story - thank you.

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**Chapter 39**

When Nadia went to bed that night, she went to bed with a smile on her face. Her parents had asked if she wanted them to tuck her in, but she had said no. A part of her wanted to though, but she also felt a little too old for that.

Early in the morning she was woken by the triplets.

"Morning, Nadia."

"We're going to snuggle with mommy and daddy."

"Come on." They were all shaking her a little, getting her to wake up. Nadia smiled a little, though she was still very sleepy.

"Why don't you go?"

"No, Nadia. You have to come too. Come on." They kept shaking her, and she couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't really sure if she should go snuggle with their parents. She felt a little old for that too, and not quite sure if she'd be comfortable with that, and if their parents would be comfortable with that. But she decided she couldn't disappoint her siblings, so she decided to come with them.

When they walked into Jack and Irina's bedroom, Nadia couldn't help but smile. They were lying there with their arms wrapped around each other, and it seemed like they had a small smile on their lips. She thought it was a beautiful sight, and thought it almost a shame to wake them. But the triplets ran towards their parents' bed, and a couple of seconds later they were awake. Jack and Irina greeted the triplets the usual way with a hug and a kiss, and they noticed Nadia standing a bit to the side. She seemed a bit hesitant.

"Come on, Nadia." Maddie got up on her knees and motioned for Nadia to get over to the bed. Jack and Irina smiled at her.

"Are you coming, sweetheart? The sooner you get under the covers, the more sleep we can get." Nadia couldn't help but smile at her mother and father too, and she went over to the bed. She walked over to her mother's side, intending to sleep next to her on the edge of the bed, but Caitie removed herself from the middle.

"Nadia, you should sleep between mommy and daddy." Nadia was a little hesitant again, but Irina gave her a little nudge, and Jack smiled at her, motioning for her to get in the middle as well. She smiled, and when she got in the middle, she got a kiss from her parents and a hug. Soon all six of them were snuggled close together, and Nadia was quite happy that her siblings had woken her up.

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Later that morning at APO Sydney walked over to Nadia.

"So, how was your first night at mom and dad's?" Nadia couldn't help but smile broadly.

"Syd, it was wonderful. You should've seen mom and dad last night. The way they acted, you would never have guessed that they spent more than twenty years apart. Or that mom ever hurt dad so badly that he turned cold and distant. And this morning the triplets woke me up, wanting me to come with them to snuggle with mom and dad. I was a little hesitant at first and still when we got there. Even more, when Caitie told me to get in the middle, between mom and dad. But gosh Sydney, it was wonderful. I felt like a little kid. And I know that this sounds absurd and stupid, but I felt loved and wanted." She shook her head a little ashamed of what she'd just said. "I know that's a horrible thing to say. I don't doubt mom and dad's love for me or that I'm wanted. But spending time with them like this, just gives me that little extra that reassure me completely. I'm now completely at ease." Sydney smiled back at her.

"Don't feel bad that you feel that way. It's understandable. For years I believed that dad never loved me. And when I learned the truth about him, I still sometimes had my doubts. Spending time with him, when Vaughn went into hiding, definitely did wonders for our relationship. We were close before that too, but not as close as we got during that time. And with mom. Well, I had her, and then I lost her. Found out the truth about her and then got her back. I hated her at first, but despite her shooting me, and walking out on me again, I still wanted my mother more than anything. Seeing what her sister did to her, her fight to bring down Rambaldi, hearing what happened to her in Kashmir, and knowing that she left dad and me to protect us, made me realize just how vulnerable she is. She's human, and I've realized through the time we spent together to bring down Rambaldi and certainly after, just how much she truly loves and wants me. How much she wants and loves all of us." They smiled at each other even more.

"We are quite lucky with the parents we have, aren't we?"

"I'd like to think so. And I think we're even luckier that they love each other as much as they do. With everything they've been through, they're still madly in love with each other. They have a passion for each other that I've not seen two other people have for each other. It's just so beautiful."

"It certainly is." They kept smiling at each other, and then they both thought of the times that they'd seen their parents express that love. They both grimaced and then laughed. "Except for the times, when we've…."

"Walked in on them expressing that love." Sydney finished Nadia's sentence. Nadia nodded. They both shook their heads and then laughed a little. "Let's not think more about that." Nadia agreed. "Speaking of our parents, have you seen dad?"

"He said something about going to the CIA headquarters for a meeting. I guess it has something to do with the phone call he made to Washington last night." Sydney looked a little puzzled, but then shrugged.

"Well, I guess there are lots of things that need to be taken care of, with the new situation here at APO." Nadia nodded. Vaughn walked up to them.

"Hey. Am I interrupting girl talk?" They both smiled at him.

"No, I was just telling Sydney how much I enjoy living with mom and dad." He smiled back at Nadia.

"That's good to hear."

"If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." Nadia smiled at them and left. Vaughn turned to Sydney.

"It's great that she enjoys living with your parents." Sydney turned to him and smiled.

"Yeah, it is. Though, I must admit that I'm a bit jealous now. Although, she probably won't be living with mom and dad for that long, she'll still experience them together, in the way that I hardly remember them. Some of the memories from the last years, mom was with us, are starting to come back to me, but it's not quite the same as living with them, the way the triplets get to live with them, and now also Nadia." Vaughn put an arm around her shoulder.

"Maybe you could move in with them for a couple of days. Then you could experience them for yourself. You can always come home for a few hours and spend time with Isabelle."

"You really mean that? You wouldn't mind?"

"No, of course not. It'll give me some father-daughter time with Isabelle." Sydney leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you. I think I'll wait a little while, though. Nadia should enjoy some time alone with them, and we should get used to having our place to ourselves."

"Sure. Whenever you want to move in with them is fine with me. And the idea of having our place to ourselves sounds great too." They grinned a little and gave each other a quick kiss before returning to work.

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A while later Sydney spotted her father returning to APO.

"Hey dad. How was the meeting?" He looked at her puzzled.

"What meeting, sweetheart?" She looked at her father oddly.

"Nadia said you went to a meeting at CIA headquarters."

"Oh right. It went well. You know…..it was business." He just shrugged. Sydney got a little worried.

"Dad, are you alright? I mean, you just got back from a meeting that you couldn't remember." He smiled at her, walked closer and gave her a kiss.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. The meeting wasn't that important, and on my way back I stopped to buy some new coloring books for your siblings. That was more important than the meeting, and I just focused on that." She eyed him, and when she could tell there wasn't anything wrong with him, she smiled.

"Okay dad." He was just about to walk away when she stopped him. "Dad, I know that mom said that the two of you wouldn't mind having both Nadia and me living at home." He nodded. "So, I thought, I might take you up on that offer, and move home for a few days. Not right away. Maybe in a couple of weeks. I don't want to move in, too quickly after Nadia. And Vaughn and I also have to get used to having our place to ourselves. I just want to live with my family for a few days, to experience it again, since I don't have that many memories from the time I was little." He smiled broadly at her, then wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm very happy to hear that. Whenever you want to move in, you just say the word. We'll be thrilled to have you, and it'll be wonderful to have the entire family together under one roof, even if it's only for a few days." She smiled back at him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks dad."

"Why don't you go and tell your mother the happy news." She gave him one more smile and walked over to her mother's desk. Jack watched them, and couldn't help but smile even more, when he saw Irina throw her arms around Sydney, hugging her tightly and then giving her a big kiss.

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A few days later Jack and Irina got home from work in the late afternoon. Nadia was already home, and was with the triplets outside. They all received their usual kiss from their parents. They sat down joining their children for a glass of ice-tea. Jack took off his jacket and tie, and rolled up his sleeves. Nadia looked at her parents.

"I guess I should've called you about this at the office, but Eric only just called a little less than an hour ago. We're going out to dinner, so I hope you haven't decided on anything major for dinner?" Irina shook her head.

"No, just spaghetti and meatballs. It doesn't matter what we were having for dinner, you should go out and have fun regardless." They smiled at each other.

Later when Nadia was just about to walk out the door Jack stopped her.

"Be home by 10.30."

"What?" Nadia couldn't believe what her father had just said. Neither could Irina.

"Jack, you can't be serious?"

"Yes, I am." He turned his attention to Nadia. "You live under our house, and therefore you'll follow our rules."

"You mean your rules, Jack." Irina shook her head at him.

"10.30, and not a minute too late. You have work tomorrow." Nadia looked at him to see if he was actually being serious. When it didn't seem like he was kidding, she too shook her head at him.

"I can't believe you."

"Believe it." The doorbell rang, and Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good time, sweetheart." Nadia shook her head at him again, and then opened the door.

"Hi honey. Hi guys." He noticed the look on Nadia and Irina's faces, and the different expression on Jack's face. He looked at them puzzled. "What's going on?" Nadia grabbed him by the arm and left.

"I'll explain on the way." Jack closed the door and turned around to see Irina shaking her head at him.

"Honestly Jack. She's an adult."

"I know, but she's also living under our roof. I haven't had the chance of giving her a curfew during her teens. So now that I have the chance, I'm taking advantage of it." She laughed a little at him, and then walked over to him, placing her arms around his neck.

"You're being extremely silly, but you're also an extremely caring and loving father." She gave him a long lingering kiss. He smiled and kissed her before they returned to the kitchen to make dinner.

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Five minutes before Nadia was supposed to return home, Jack was looking at his watch every ten seconds. He and Irina were in the living room watching TV and she shook her head at him.

"She'll be home soon. Just relax."

"I'll relax when she's inside the house." She rolled her eyes at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Seven minutes later they heard Eric's car pull into the driveway. For the past two minutes Jack had been twitching in his seat. He immediately got up, and started walking to the door.

"Jack, leave them be. She'll be in, in a minute."

"She should've been here more than two minutes ago." He continued to walk and Irina got off the couch too, trying to stop him, but she couldn't. He opened the door and found Nadia and Eric kissing. They immediately pulled apart when they saw Jack, who looked anything but happy.

"Hi dad."

"Hi Jack." They both smiled at him, but Jack gave Eric a stern look.

"Do you realize you should've been home three minutes ago? Nearly four now?" Eric looked at his watch.

"What are you talking about? She's home right on time. In fact she's home two minutes earlier."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Eric swallowed and could only shake his head, being a little afraid of Jack's voice that matched the expression on his face. "Then I suggest you have your watch checked. You're an agent. Your watch has to be the exact time, and obviously it's not."

"Of course. Absolutely." He swallowed once before turning his attention to Nadia. "You should probably get inside." She nodded. He was just about to lean in to give her one last kiss, but didn't get the chance.

"Do you really think that's the wisest thing to do, considering you bringing my daughter home nearly three minutes late?" Eric swallowed again, and turned to look at Jack, who looked even madder than before.

"I..I guess not."

"You guessed correctly." Jack walked down to stand beside them and put an arm around Nadia. "Goodnight." He didn't give Eric as much as a smile or a nod, but simply took Nadia with him, walking inside and closing the door, leaving Eric standing there, frozen a little bit in place. Once they got inside they saw Irina standing there with her arms crossed, and an eyebrow, raised at Jack.

"Now that wasn't really necessary. You could at least let him say goodnight to her properly."

"He did during the minutes he brought her home late."

"Oh come on, Jack. Don't you think you're overreacting, just a bit too much?"

"No." He turned his attention to Nadia. "Bedtime, young lady. Right now." She shook her head at him, but then smiled from ear to ear. She gave him a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, dad. Thank you for looking out for me." She looked at him smiling and then gave him another kiss. "You're sweet and very loving. Goodnight, dad." He smiled back at her, gave her a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight. Nadia then walked over to her mother and gave her a hug and a kiss. "Goodnight, mom. I love you too." She looked back at her father, and then at her mother again. "Don't be too hard on him. He means well." They both grinned a little, and then Irina smiled at her and gave her a kiss.

"I love you too, sweetheart, and I promise I won't. Goodnight." Nadia gave her parents one last smile and then headed upstairs. Irina looked at Jack smiling and shaking her head. He smiled back at her with a little triumphantly grin. He walked over to her.

"See. Nadia didn't think I was bad after all." He looked at her hungrily and his voice turned low and filled with the same hunger. "But if you think I've been a bad boy, please feel free to punish me." He was about to put his arms around her, and kiss her, when she just shrugged and answered him dryly.

"No, I see no point in that." His arms fell to his side, and he looked at her a little disappointed. She couldn't help laugh a little at first from the expression in his eyes. Then she put her arms around his neck and smiled lovingly at him. "But I will reward you for being a very loving and caring father."

He returned the smile he was getting. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately. They stood in the hall kissing for a while, before turning off all the lights, turning on the alarm system, and going to bed.

The next day at APO Eric was a little nervous around Jack. He avoided him for most of the day, but later in the day, he did talk to him, and thought that Jack was pleasant enough. When Eric had gotten home the night before, his watched had stopped. So, indeed he had brought Nadia home too late. However, he never mentioned to Jack that he'd been right.

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A week later, Sydney moved in. Everyone was excited, and especially the triplets. When they took her suitcase upstairs to put into one of the guestrooms the triplets stopped them.

"Sydney, you should not sleep in your own room."

"You should sleep with Nadia, just like Maddie, Ethan, and I sleep together."

"Siblings share." Everyone looked at the triplets smiling, and then Sydney and Nadia looked at each other. They grinned a little and then Nadia nodded. Sydney smiled at her even more before turning her attention back on the triplets.

"Well, I guess it's settled then. I'll be sleeping in Nadia's room." The triplets were excited about that and took Sydney and Nadia by their hands and let them to Nadia's bedroom.

Jack and Irina looked at them leave, and then turned to look at each other when the children went into Nadia's room. Irina put an arm around Jack's waist and he put his free hand around her shoulders, kissing her forehead.

"It's really going to be wonderful having them all under one roof."

"Yeah, it really is." They gave each other a hug. "I think we better get the suitcase to the room, and see what they might be up to. I wouldn't be surprised if they were jumping on the bed." They laughed and walked off to Nadia's room.

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Just like Nadia, Sydney was fascinated by their parents' display of affection. She and Nadia looked at each other many times smiling. Though none of them really commented on it, they were all enjoying being together as one family.

Just as they were about to sit down to dinner Jack's cell phone rang. He looked at the caller-id and smiled a little to himself without the others noticing. He turned around to look at them.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take this. It's Washington. It shouldn't take long, so you can just go ahead and eat." They nodded at him, and he went out into the hall far from the kitchen, but still so he was able to see if anyone came out. He didn't want them to hear his conversation, since the phone call wasn't from Washington. "Yes?"

"_Your package is ready. You can pick it up whenever you want to."_

"I'm happy to hear that. I'll be by tomorrow, sometime in the early afternoon, and I'll make sure to give you a bonus for working so fast to get it done. I know, you've spent many hours working on it, and I really appreciate that."

"_Thank you very much, but there's really no need to do that. You're already paying me more than enough money. You shouldn't pay me any more. I've enjoyed making it. It was a unique experience for me, and I'm grateful to you for giving me this job."_

"You do excellent work, and excellent worked should be rewarded."

"_Thank you very much."_

"It's me who's thankful. I'll see you tomorrow."

"_Yes, goodbye."_ Jack hung up the phone, and stood there smiling to himself.

He stayed in the hall for a few more minutes, so it would seem that he was talking to someone in Washington. They might get suspicious if the conversation was too short. He was excited about picking up the package the next day, but made sure to wipe the big smile off his lips before he walked into the kitchen. He didn't want anyone to get suspicious.

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After they'd eaten for a little while, Irina looked around at everyone.

"So, anything special you would like to do, now that we're all together alone for the first time?" They looked around at each other and then shrugged.

"Maybe we could rent some movies? That might be fun watching together." Everyone smiled at Nadia, and nodded.

"Movies, it is. We can talk about which ones to get now, and then go pick them up when we've eaten." They all agreed and during the next twenty minutes they'd decided on which kind of movies to get. They decided on some cartoons, they'd watch with the triplets, and then some movies for the adults to watch after the triplets had been put to bed.

They found some cartoons easily, but finding movies for the adults proved to be a little harder, as Jack protested every time Irina, Sydney, and Nadia showed up with a chick flick. He told them they could have a girl's night some day, where they could watch all the chick flicks they wanted. Eventually they found some movies they could all agree on.

When they got home from the movie store, they made popcorn, and put the candy they'd bought in bowls. They got the beverages everyone wanted, and then made themselves comfortable in front of the TV.

They were all roaring with laughter when they watched the first cartoon. When it ended Nadia threw a few popcorns at her father, and then pointed to her mother blaming her. Irina who was absolutely clueless suddenly found herself covered in popcorn, as Jack grabbed two large hands full of popcorn and threw at her. She quickly got even, and they only stopped throwing popcorn at each other, when they heard Sydney quietly tell Nadia she pulled that off well. Then Jack and Irina turned on all their children, throwing the remainder of the popcorn at them as well as the remainder of the marshmallows. Once that had all gone, they had a pillow fight and then they tickled each other. After they were done they decided to get into their pajamas, and the triplets brushed their teeth, so that they were ready for bed, in case they fell asleep during the second cartoon.

Sure enough the triplets fell asleep. The rest finished watching the cartoon, and when it was over Jack picked up Maddie on one arm, and started to pick up Ethan, as Irina picked up Caitie.

"Dad, we can help you with the triplets." Both Sydney and Nadia got up from their seat to help, just as he got both children placed in his arms.

"Thanks, but I got them. You can decide on which movie we should watch first, while your mother and I tuck them in. We shouldn't be long." Everyone smiled as Maddie and Ethan snuggled closer to him in their sleep and Caitie did the same with Irina. Jack and Irina left the living room, and Sydney and Nadia looked at each other smiling.

"I wouldn't mind being their age right now, and being carried off to bed."

"Me too. Though, I've enjoyed the evening very much just as it was."

"Yeah, me too. I'm so glad I decided to come home and live for a couple of days." They smiled at each other, and then put the movie they wanted to watch in the DVD-player. Shortly after, their parents returned.

During the second movie Sydney and Nadia fell asleep. Jack and Irina couldn't help but smile at them and at each other.

"I can't believe them. They're supposed to be the young ones, and they can't even stay awake." They both laughed quietly, so they wouldn't wake them. Then Irina slapped Jack playfully on the chest.

"Hey, we're not old. I don't think I'm old, and you prove yourself night after night that you're not old either." She wiggled her eyes at him, and he laughed a little more.

"Well, then allow me to prove myself again tonight." They grinned a little, and then kissed before watching the rest of the movie. When the movie ended, Jack turned off the TV, and Irina looked at the girls.

"It's almost a shame to wake them." They stood and looked at them for a few seconds before Irina was about to walk over to them to wake them. Jack stopped her.

"Don't wake them." She looked at him a little puzzled.

"Jack, they'll be more comfortable sleeping in the bed. They'll have sore necks in the morning if they sleep like that."

"I know. I'll carry them. That way they shouldn't wake up too much and they can fall asleep immediately after. I think they can go with out brushing their teeth for one night." She looked at him briefly smiling, before she took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly on the lips. She caressed his cheeks, gave him one more kiss before letting him go.

Jack walked over and put Sydney's arm gently around his shoulder and then taking a hold of her around her back and under her knees. She started to wake up a little.

"What's going on? Dad, what are you doing?" He picked her up and had a good hold on her. He kissed her forehead.

"I'm carrying you to bed. Just get back to sleep sweetheart."

"No, put me down. I can walk."

"Ssshhh. No, I've got you. Just close your eyes, and go back to sleep." Irina gently placed a hand on Sydney's head, and guided it to Jack's shoulder. Sydney snuggled into her father's embrace and was soon sleeping again. Jack gave her another kiss on the forehead and then he and Irina walked upstairs and tucked her in.

When they got back downstairs, they turned off the lights and set the alarm. They decided to clean up in the morning. They went back into the living room and Jack picked Nadia up. She started to wake up a little, just like Sydney had.

"What? Dad?"

"Sssshhh. Go back to sleep sweetheart. I'm carrying you to bed." He kissed her forehead, but she still looked at him confused, through nearly closed eyes.

"What? No."

"Yes. Just close your eyes and sleep. I've got you." Irina did the same with Nadia that she'd done with Sydney, and soon Nadia had snuggled into her father's embrace with her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead again, and then he and Irina walked upstairs with her.

He put her down next to Sydney on the bed, and in a few seconds she positioned herself comfortably in bed. Sydney didn't move an inch, but slept soundly and peacefully. Jack and Irina kissed their daughters goodnight. They stood by the door watching them. Jack had wrapped his arms around Irina from behind, and to them it looked like both Sydney and Nadia had a small smile spread across their lips. Irina was resting her arms on Jack's and hugged him a little tighter.

"That truly is a beautiful sight."

"Yeah, it really is." He kissed her cheek. "We should go." She nodded and they left. When she had just closed the door, Jack picked her up off her feet, surprising her.

"Jack."

"Sssshhh. We don't want to wake the kids now that they're sleeping so peacefully." They grinned a little and then Irina kissed him. "I've got you, and I'm carrying you to bed."

"I hope you're not planning on tucking me in, so that I'll go to sleep."

"No, sleep is for kids and old people. And I believe I'm supposed to prove again that I'm not old." They looked at each other with hungry eyes.

"Yes, you better." They kissed passionately for a while, before Jack carried Irina off to the bedroom.

**TBC**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

The next morning the triplets woke up Sydney and Nadia, and wanted them to come snuggle with their parents, just as Nadia had done on the first morning she had moved in. Sydney and Nadia both woke up a little confused of how they'd gotten to bed. They looked at each other through sleepy eyes.

"Is it my imagination or did dad carry me up here last night?"

"I don't know if he carried you, but I think he might've carried me." They didn't really have time to think about it any further, because the triplets dragged them off to their parents' bedroom.

Sydney smiled broadly watching her parents sleeping in each others arms. Just like on Nadia's first morning in the house she really didn't want to wake them up, but once again the triplets woke them up in a matter of seconds.

The triplets got their usual morning greeting, but Sydney was a bit hesitant. Nadia too, though she had enjoyed it on her first morning in the house.

"Are you girls coming or not?" Irina popped her head from her pillow, looking at them through nearly closed eyes. She hadn't gotten that many hours of sleep.

They walked over to the bed. The triplets made Sydney sleep in the middle. She had Maddie on one side of her and her mother on the other. Nadia took the spot on the edge of the bed next to her mother, and soon all seven of them were sleeping again.

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After breakfast Irina was getting the triplets ready. Sergei had told them that they'd be going to the zoo that day. He had been taking care of them everyday when Jack and Irina were at work, and also during Irina's training.

Jack, Sydney, and Nadia were in the kitchen cleaning up. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other and then at their father.

"Dad, is it just our imagination or did you carry us upstairs last night?" He looked at them and smiled.

"Yes, I did. You were both sound asleep that it was a shame to wake you. Had we let you sleep, you would've had sore necks this morning." They smiled back at him.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to." They smiled at him even more, and then walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

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At APO early in the afternoon Jack walked over to Dixon, who looked up when he saw Jack coming towards him.

"I'm stepping out of the office for a while."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just have a few things to discuss at CIA headquarters."

"Anything Kendall and I should be involved in?" Jack shook his head a little.

"No. I just have to talk to them about a few minor things. But I'll let you and Kendall know if anything comes up that include you." Dixon nodded.

"Okay." He gave Jack a small smile. "Enjoy your trip to headquarters." Jack smiled in return, and gave Dixon a nod before he left.

Dixon couldn't help but be a little suspicious of Jack. He didn't quite believe that Jack was going to headquarters, or that he'd gone to headquarters the other time when he said he did. But he also trusted Jack and knew that if he was hiding something, he had good reason to. Deciding not to think more about it, he returned to work.

When Jack had picked up his package, he went to one of his storage spaces and put it in the safe. He knew no one would find it here, and he could go and get it when he needed it. When he came back to APO, he told Dixon that there was nothing to tell about his meeting. He had a feeling when he left that Dixon didn't quite buy into his cover about going to CIA headquarters, so he thought he'd just cover his tracks a little better, by bringing up the meeting again.

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A couple of hours later Jack and Irina left the office to go home.

"So, I was thinking that the two of us could go out on Saturday." She looked at him a little puzzled.

"Do you mean like on a date?" He laughed a little.

"Well no, not really a date. We're married after all. But just out to dinner alone without the kids. I mean don't get me wrong. I love spending my evenings with the kids. All five of them. But I just thought we could have an evening to ourselves. We haven't had that yet, and it would be nice." She smiled at him and reached her hand over to caress his cheek.

"Of course it'll be nice, and I think it's a great idea. I'm looked forward to it already." He took her hand and kissed it. "So, where should we go?"

"I actually already have something in mind."

"That sounds intriguing. What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise." She laughed a little at him and shook her head.

"You have this whole thing planned out already, haven't you?" He grinned, and she knew he had. "Then why did you even suggest it to me?"

"Because, now you have something to look forward to." They both laughed.

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That Friday it was Sydney's last night at the house. She, Nadia, and their mother were cooking. The triplets were coloring outside and Jack hadn't returned home from work yet.

"So, mom, any idea where dad's taken you tomorrow?" Irina looked at Nadia shaking her head.

"No, he won't tell me a thing."

"I take it that annoys you a little?" They all three laughed.

"Yes, it does a little. I mean, I think it's absolutely sweet and romantic that he's planning the whole thing and wants to surprise me. But honestly, he doesn't give away as much as a tiny detail, and that's a little annoying."

"What's annoying?" They all turned to look at Jack, who came walking towards them. He walked over to Irina and gave her a kiss. He gave Sydney and Nadia a kiss on the cheek, before turning his attention back to Irina, waiting for her to answer.

"You are." She grinned at him and he smiled back.

"Okay. Why am I annoying?"

"Because, you won't tell me anything about tomorrow. Absolutely nothing. Can't you just tell me something, anything?"

"No, I'm not telling you a thing." They both grinned and she shook her head at him.

"You're not being fair."

"I don't care. You just have to wait until tomorrow." He leaned in and kissed her again. She put her arms around his neck.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to change your mind?" She started kissing him more passionately, and Sydney and Nadia covered there eyes shaking their heads.

"Hey, hey. Cool it."

"Yeah guys. Kids in the room." Jack and Irina looked at them and couldn't help but laugh. They gave each other one more kiss.

"Okay, you can remove your hands now." Irina shook her head at her daughters, while they just rolled their eyes at her in return. They stepped away from their parents a little to continue with dinner. Jack leaned closer to Irina and whispered in her ear, so that Sydney and Nadia wouldn't hear.

"No, there's nothing you can do to change my mind. But please feel free to try all you want tonight." He kissed her on her neck, and a small moan escaped her mouth. Seconds later a dishtowel hit their heads, and they saw that their daughters were shaking their heads at them again, with their backs turned to them. Irina rolled her eyes, and then shook her head. Jack smiled at her, and then stepped back a bit. "I take it the triplets are outside." She nodded at him. "Then I'll just go and say hi. I'll go and change after, and then come and help you with dinner." He gave Irina a quick kiss before leaving.

They had a nice dinner and a great evening. They'd asked if Sydney wanted to do anything on her last night at the house. She said, she wanted to be tucked in by her parents, have a bedtime story read to her, as well as Jack singing a lullaby. Jack had gotten a little embarrassed at that request, but had agreed to it. Sydney and Nadia fell asleep shortly after he'd finished, and just like with the triplets Jack and Irina had stayed for a little while watching them sleep. In their own bedroom Irina had tried time and time again to get Jack to tell her anything about the next day. But despite her best efforts, he hadn't told her a thing.

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The next day early in the afternoon everyone was enjoying the day outside. Since Jack and Irina wouldn't be home in the evening, Sydney was spending the evening there, and Vaughn and Isabelle would come to the house for dinner. Eric and Sergei would be coming too. Jack looked at his watch and stood up.

"I have some things to take care of, so I'll be taking off. I should be home in about two to three hours." Irina looked at him surprised.

"You're what? Two to three hours? That means you won't be home until somewhere between 3.30-4.30. Where are you going?" He smiled at her.

"I can't tell you that." He walked over and gave her a kiss. She smiled back at him.

"Does it have anything to do with our plans for this evening?"

"I can't tell you that either." He walked over to say goodbye to the kids, and Irina rolled her eyes at him. She followed him into the house, and blocked the front door. He smiled at her. "I'll be home sooner if you let me out." She smiled back.

"I'll let you go, but at least tell me something about tonight." He shook his head. "Oh come on, Jack. At least tell me where we're going, so that I'll know what clothes to wear."

"Wear anything you'd like." She rolled her eyes at him and laughed a little.

"That's not being very specific. So, are you telling me that I can wear sweatpants?" Jack nodded.

"Yes, if that's what you feel like wearing, then by all means wear that." She laughed a little.

"What are you wearing? Or can't I know that either?" Jack thought for a moment then looked at her.

"I think, I'll be wearing a nice pair of shorts, a short sleeved shirt, and sandals. Now that I've answered one of your questions, can I go?"

"No, you're not getting off that easy."

Jack rolled her eyes at her. Then he pulled her close, gently pushing her against the door, and kissing her passionately and deeply. After a few moments, they both needed air. He didn't let her catch her breath for very long, before he kissed her the same way again. This time he let her away from the door, and turned them around so that he was closest to the door. When they broke apart again, she was a little disoriented, and he laughed a little at her before opening the door.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, sweetheart. And really, you can wear anything you want." Then he was gone before she could say or do anything.

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The doorbell rang at Sydney and Vaughn's place, and Vaughn opened the door.

"Hi Jack. Come on in." Jack gave Vaughn a smile and greeted him back, and they walked into the kitchen where Eric was.

"Hey Jack." Jack greeted Eric as well. He looked at the kitchen table.

"Thank you for putting out all the stuff for me." Vaughn gave him a nod.

"Sure thing. Do you need any help?"

"No, thank you. I'll manage."

"Okay. If you need our help just let us know. And feel free to look around for whatever you might need. If there's anything you need and you can't find it, just let me know." He gave Vaughn a smile and a nod. "Well, Weiss and I will get out of your way, and let you get to work. We'll be watching TV, in case you need anything." Jack nodded at them again, and they left him alone.

Twenty minutes later Eric walked into the kitchen to get two beers. He looked at Jack for a little while, who didn't look up from what he was doing. On the way back to the TV, Eric shook his head a little. Vaughn noticed that.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just Jack. I have no problem with him killing people, with him giving people his death glare that sends chills down people's spines, with him torturing people, with him rigging a place with explosives, with him doing anything in his powers to protect his children. I'm perfectly fine with all that. But seeing him in the kitchen humming and making a chocolate cake is a little disturbing. I must admit it creeps me out a little bit." Vaughn looked at him a little wide eyed.

"Well, I saw the ingredients and noticed the chocolate, but I didn't expect him to make a chocolate cake." Vaughn grinned a little. "Oh, I have to see this for myself." He went to the kitchen and looked at Jack. Then he went to the fridge to get two beers, so that it would seem that he was not just there to check up on Jack. He took another short look at Jack after closing the fridge before leaving. However, he didn't get far.

"Vaughn?" Vaughn turned around to look at Jack, who was concentrating on making his chocolate cake.

"Yes, Jack." Jack still didn't look up.

"Eric has just been out here and grabbed two beers, and now you're doing the same. You do realize, in a few hours one of you will be behind the wheel of a car with my granddaughter. Do you really think it's wise to have more than one beer?" Vaughn was just about to answer, but didn't get the chance. "If you're so interested in my cooking skills, then why don't you just simply pull up a chair and watch, instead of making up some pathetic excuse, just so you can go to the kitchen and sneak a peak?" Vaughn swallowed a little. "I might not be looking up at you, but I'm still watching you." Now he looked up at Vaughn. He smirked at him a little. "You should know that about me by now." Vaughn let out a laugh and then nodded.

Vaughn put the beers back in the fridge, and then went to tell Eric that Jack had called his bluff. Since there really wasn't anything worth watching on TV, they decided to go into the kitchen to watch Jack cook. While the chocolate cake was in the oven, Jack was making part of the meal he and Irina would be enjoying that evening. When he had finished with everything needed for the evening, and the chocolate cake was out of the oven, he spent a few minutes with Isabelle. He then handed her back to Vaughn.

"I should get home. Drive carefully on your way to the house. I don't want the chocolate cake to get ruined or any of the other foods." Vaughn smiled.

"We'll drive safely, and make sure that everything is securely packed." Jack nodded in return.

"I'll meet you out in the driveway, so that we can put the food over in my car." They nodded at him, and he gave Isabelle a kiss before he left.

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When Jack pulled into the driveway, he saw that the others were getting out of their cars carrying a few bags. They waited for him to get out of the car. He walked over to them.

"I take it you went shopping." They nodded. He walked closer to Irina. "So, what did you buy?" He was about to take a look in her bag, but she pulled it behind her back.

"Oh no, you don't. If I can't know where we're going, then you can't see what I'll be wearing until we go." Jack just shrugged.

"Fair enough. I can wait. It won't be long anyway." He grinned at her, when she realized she couldn't annoy him by keeping the clothes a secret, like he annoyed her by not telling her where they were going. She hit him playfully on the arm, which just made him laugh a little more.

When Vaughn, Eric, and Isabelle arrived Jack quickly got out of the door. Irina was getting ready, so in a way he knew he had plenty of time. But still he wanted to hurry in case she all of a sudden showed up. He looked over the food to see if it was alright. Vaughn and Eric looked at each other shaking their heads.

Irina had made Jack change in one of the guestrooms, and he was now waiting for her by the foot of the stairs along with everyone else. When he saw her he almost couldn't breathe. She was wearing a floral skirt, a shirt that was matching with one of the colors in her skirt, and high heeled sandals. She couldn't help but smile, when she saw the look on his face. He swallowed a few times, and gathered himself before reaching his hand out to her, when she was at the last steps. When she reached the floor, he was still just looking at her without saying a word. She smiled lovingly at him.

"I take it, this is better than sweatpants after all?" He returned the smile, and leaned closer to whisper.

"You look beautiful and sexy no matter what you wear. But yes, I would agree that this is better than sweatpants. You look absolutely stunning. Just simply wow." She blushed a little from the compliments she was getting and he gave her a soft lingering kiss.

"You look very handsome yourself." They stood looking at each other for a little while longer, with Sydney and Nadia looking at each other smiling. Then Jack and Irina said goodbye to everyone and left. When they got in the car Irina turned to Jack. "So, now can I know where we're going?"

"No." She shook her head laughing and he laughed a little too. "You'll know soon enough."

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After driving for a while Irina started to recognize the places they were passing. It took her back in time, and she turned to Jack and smiled.

"Sweetheart, are we going to the cave on the beach?" Jack couldn't hide his huge smile, and she smiled even more.

"Yes, we are." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then caressed it.

"You are a wonderful man. I love you." He took her hand and kissed it.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

A while later they parked the car in their usual spot that hid the car well from anyone else. He told her on the way that the food was in the trunk, when she's asked about dinner. She cocked an eyebrow at him smiling, when she saw that there were also sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows in the trunk.

"Are we spending the night?" Jack smiled at her.

"Yes, why break with tradition." She smiled back at him, but suddenly got a little worried.

"Jack, what about the children? They think we're coming home later."

"No, they don't. I've told them that we won't be home until around noon tomorrow." She gaped a little at him.

"So, you told everyone about tonight, except for me? Everyone was in on it?"

"Yes and no. I've told no one where we were going, because this is our secret hideaway. When I took off this afternoon, I went to Sydney's to make some of the food. Vaughn and Eric were there, and they've known part of my plans for a few days. However, our children and Sergei know nothing about our dinner plans. I only told them that we were not coming home. But I guess the guys have filled them in by now." She laughed a little and then started to take out the things in the trunk. She looked in one of the bags, and then cocked an eyebrow at him again smiling.

"So, I guess we're keeping with tradition again, and going swimming later?" She held up part of her bikini, and he nodded. She leaned closer to him, and spoke a bit huskily. "Why did you even bring our bathing suits at all? As far as I remember, we often skipped the clothes and went skinny-dipping." He swallowed a few times remembering fondly those times, before looking at her.

"I don't know if I have the courage to do that anymore. I thought it was best to bring the bathing suits. You never know if anyone is looking." She grinned a little at his shyness.

"No one is able to see us, unless they wander all the way out on the rocks. Remember we checked back then?" He laughed and nodded. "Well, we can always start out with wearing the bathing suits, and then take them off later on." She winked at him and he smiled.

When they reached the cave Irina stood for a few seconds outside reminiscing, before she walked in. Once inside she gasped from the inscription in the wall. It read _Jack and Irina forever and a day. _She ran her fingers over it and a tear escaped her eye. Jack saw her and went over and wrapped his arms around her.

"I told you that one day I'd put our names on the wall as an everlasting mark of our love for each other." He kissed her cheek and she turned in his embrace. When he saw her crying a little, he kissed her tears away, and she wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly.

"You're too good to be true, you know that?" He laughed a little and then took her face in his hands, when they stopped hugging. He dried away the new fallen tears with his thumbs. "I love you so much. So very much, Jack."

"I love you too. So very much." He kissed her and then they hugged again for a little while before getting started on dinner.

When they unpacked Irina laughed a little, when she saw one bottle of white wine, and two bottles of champagne in the cooler, and one bottle of red wine in a bag.

"Intending on getting me drunk?" He laughed when she held up the bottles.

"Most certainly not. The white is for the first course. The red is for the second course. One of the champagnes is for dessert, and the other is for later. And it takes stronger liquor to get you drunk." She smiled back and laughed a little. He got the disposable grill started, so that they could cook the meat for the second course, while they were eating the first course.

They had a great time at the beach, enjoying the food and wine. Before dessert they went for a swim wearing their bathing suits. However, when they got back to up, Irina pulled down Jack's swimming trunks and flipped him onto his back on their blanket. She removed the swimming trunks completely and stripped out of her bikini, and then sat down on top of him, before he could react.

"Irina, what do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like? I think we need to work up an appetite before we have dessert."

"What if someone sees us?" She shook her head at him laughing.

"Jack, no one will be able to see us here. No one can see us from above, and no one can see us from the sides. And I don't know about you, but I don't see anyone out on the ocean. We've made love in this spot before, and no one saw us back then either." She ran her hands up and down his chest. "You're tense, sweetheart. Let me help you relax." She bent down and kissed him hard and deeply. When she broke the kiss he could hardly breathe. "But hey, if you want me to stop, just say so." She rubbed against him and he moaned out load, gripping the blanket and closing his eyes.

"Oh god no, don't stop." She smiled down at him and bent down to kiss him again. They made love twice and then went to take a dip in the ocean to cool off, after they had caught their breath.

When he unpacked the chocolate cake and the fruit, she just stared at it and then looked up at him smiling.

"Your famous chocolate cake. We used to have this too, whenever we came here." He nodded and smiled, and she leaned in and kissed him.

He got the cake ready and the fruit too, and then popped the champagne. After he poured them the champagne, he gave her a glass and took one for himself. They raised their glasses to each other.

"A toast." She nodded. "To new beginnings." She smiled back at him.

"To new beginnings."

After they finished the champagne and a large part of the cake and the fruit, they went for another swim. This time also wearing their bathing suits. They were swimming around a bit and had fun in the water by the edge. When they got back up Jack went inside the cave. He put his short back on and looked over his shoulder before he put the package he picked up the other day in his pocket smiling. When he got back outside, Irina looked at him curiously.

"Why did you put your shorts back on? I hope you don't think we're done with the ocean."

"I just wanted to have on a pair of dry shorts. And no I certainly don't think we're done with the ocean." She stood up and gave him a kiss.

"Well, in that case can I borrow your shirt?"

"Of course. I always thought you looked great in my shirts." She kissed him again, and then went to the cave to get his shirt.

When she got back, they went down near the water's edge, and danced to the sound of the ocean. She was leaning her head on his shoulder when he let go of her hand and used his hand to raise her head. He held her face by her chin and then brought her lips to his giving her a soft kiss. He let go of her face and stood there caressing her chin, looking deeply into her eyes, smiling lovingly at her. She looked back at him the same way, but couldn't quite get over the look in his eyes.

"Jack, what's up with you? You're like in a world of your own."

"I'm just thinking of how much in love with you I am, and how lucky I am to have you back in my life again." She kissed him and rubbed her nose against his.

"I feel the same way."

"But still, something is missing." She looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about? Things couldn't possibly be better. We're together, happy, and in love." He nodded.

"Yes, you're absolutely right. We've got our second chance, but to me there's still something missing." He took her hands in his and dropped to one knee. She stared wide eyed at him, not able to speak. "Irina, I love you. Although we've promised each other a new beginning, and a second chance, I want to make it more official. I know our love was real from the start and that our marriage was too, but I want to be married to the real you in every way. I want to say 'I do' to Irina, and I miss the ring on my finger, and miss seeing the ring on yours. I want that again, and I want the world to see that I belong to someone without having to tell anyone. Will you marry me?" Tears were rolling down her cheeks by now, but she still stared at him dumbfounded. After a few seconds she dropped to her knees, threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Jack grinned. "So, is that a yes?"

She kissed him allover his face, and several times on his mouth.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes." She kissed him soundly and passionately on the lips, and then looked him in the eyes smiling through her tears. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I was wrong. Things could definitely get better." They laughed and he pulled the ring out of his pocket. He took her hand in his, and placed it on her finger kissing it after. It wasn't a huge diamond, but not tiny either. It was just right. She looked at it and shook her head in amazement. "Jack, it's beautiful."

"I had it custom made. I actually help make the design." She looked at him dumbfounded and he couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face. "The phone call I made on Nadia's first night at the house was not to Washington, but to a jeweler. Every time I've said I was going to headquarters, I've gone to the jeweler and marked the cave with our names too. On Sydney's first night at the house, I got the call that the ring was finished and the day after I picked it up." She shook her head smiling at him.

"I don't deserve you, but I thank my lucky stars for you every day." She kissed him again, and they sat in the sand for a while, just making out.

"What do you say, to opening that second bottle of champagne?"

"I say it's a great idea."

The spent the night drinking champagne, skinny-dipping, and making love. They hadn't slept an eye, and were now sitting watching the sunrise. Jack was leaning against one of the rocks, while Irina was leaning up against him. They were wrapped in blankets, and Jack had his arms wrapped around her, while she rested her arms on top of his. They were tired and sated from making love all night long, but also deliriously happy and in a daze.

"Jack?"

"Yeah."

"Can we move here?" He laughed and kissed her neck.

"Well, considering that the cave is really nothing more than a studio apartment, I think it's going to be too crowded with the two of us and the triplets." She nodded laughing. "But we can always keep it as a vacation house for just the two of us." She laughed again nodding.

"Let's do that then." They were quiet for a while longer, enjoying the sunrise and each other.

"Where do you want to get married? We can get married in Russia if you'd like?" She turned in his arms smiling at him.

"Really?"

"Yes absolutely. We can get the time off, and so can everyone else. I can talk to Devlin. He'll understand." She gave him a kiss.

"Thank you for offering. But this is the country we fell in love in, and the country we'll live in. I want to get married here." He nodded. "Any idea of when we should get married?"

"Well, I know we promised each other a new beginning. But since the first time we got married was real for the both of us, I thought that we could get married on the same day. I know, it's next month, but I wasn't really planning on a huge wedding."

"I'd love to get married on our original wedding day. So, since we're not getting married in Russia and we're getting married next month, do you have any suggestions as to where we should get married?" He smiled a little embarrassed.

"Actually I do. Remember that small inn up the coast? The one we've stayed at a few times?" She nodded smiling at the memories. "Well, the place still exists. I called the day after I talked to the jeweler, and the entire place was free in the days surrounding our wedding day. I booked the entire thing just in case. It has that platform overlooking the ocean, and I thought we could get married there. The inn has that beautiful garden that we could have the wedding party in. I've talked to them, and they're more than happy to have the wedding there. It's not my attention to make all the arrangements without asking you. If you don't want to have the wedding there, then we'll find somewhere else." She smiled at him lovingly and kissed him.

"I couldn't think of a more perfect place. I'd love to get married there." He smiled back at her, and kissed her. Their kissed more passionately and found out that they were not so tired and sated after all.

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They ended up sleeping for a little while before heading home. They had the rest of the chocolate cake and fruit for breakfast, and went by a Starbucks on the way home to get some coffee. They walked in the house smiling and couldn't hide how happy they were. When they couldn't find anyone in the kitchen or living room they heard them outside in the back yard. They stood looking at them for a while without saying anything. Finally Nadia spotted them.

"Hi guys. Did you have a nice evening?" They nodded and smiled even more. Jack nodded at Irina and she gave him a quick kiss, before they walked closer.

"Yes, we had a real nice evening. A real nice evening indeed." She held her hand out with her engagement ring on, so that they all could see. Everyone stared at it and then at Jack and Irina.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"If you think that it means your father and I are renewing our wedding vows then you're completely right, Sydney." The triplets ran towards their parents excited about the news. Jack and Irina bent down to their level and received hugs and kisses from them, and gave them hugs and kisses in return.

Sydney and Nadia stood just looking at them with tears of joy running down their cheeks. They'd both secretly wished that their parents would renew their wedding vows, but since it hadn't been mentioned, they thought it wouldn't happen. When Jack and Irina looked up at them, they smiled at their daughters, and seconds later Sydney and Nadia practically flew over to them and threw their arms around them. Jack and Irina hardly got up, and were nearly knocked off their feet. They received huge hugs from them too and kisses. Vaughn, Eric, and Sergei let them have their little family moment before they walked over and congratulated Jack and Irina as well.

**TBC**


	41. Chapter 41

**anon: ***lol* No, the triplets are not the Stepford Children - they've just been through a lot in their short lives with not having had either parent in their lives much, but now that they do, they're extremely happy, very relaxed, and easy going. But despite not having had their parents in their lives much, they're still very well-mannered - Sergei made sure of that and so did Irina. It might be a little extreme that they're so well-mannered but that's just the way they are, and I doubt that'll change in the second and third story. *lol* - Nadia decided to be an adult about the situation and take the highroad instead of behaving like a teenager. But if she'd wanted to stay up to watch TV or something she would've done that and Jack wouldn't have been able to stop her. Thank you for reading and reviewing - I really appreciate it. :-)

**SofiaBlackBristow:** Thank you for loving that idea, and thank you for reading and reviewing - I really appreciate it. :-)

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**Chapter 41**

They had all enjoyed a nice lunch together where Jack and Irina had told them where the wedding would be and when. Sydney and Nadia had both thought it sounded like the most romantic place to have a wedding, and they thought that their father had been really romantic. Jack had gotten a little embarrassed, and he had only gotten a little more embarrassed when Vaughn and Eric had gone on about him preparing the food.

Later in the evening Jack and Irina were the only ones in the house, besides the triplets who were sleeping. Since the wedding was next month they had started making plans.

"No, Irina. Absolutely not."

"Why not, Jack?"

"You tell me why."

"Because he helped me get a pardon, and he looked out for Sydney those years ago. They two of you are also getting along better, or you're getting better along with him." Jack shook his head a little.

"That's still no reason why we should invite Kendall."

"Think of it as an icebreaker. If we invite him, it can only strengthen our work relationship. We work in black ops, and as close as some of us work, we need to have a strong bond." He rolled his eyes at her, and then nodded a little.

"Fine. We can invite Kendall." She smiled at him, and then wrote his name on the list.

"We also have to invite Marcus, Stephen, Robin, and Hayden." Jack looked at her curiously.

"Hayden?" Then realization dawned on him. "You mean Chase?" She nodded. "Oh no, Irina. We're not inviting her. I'm putting my foot down on that one. I can't believe you want to invite her, after the way she's treated you."

"I don't really want to invite her, but she's dating Marcus, and…." She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"We're allowing our guests to bring dates?" Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. She laughed from the expression on his face.

"No, not really. Just Marcus, but that's only because we know who his girlfriend is. Oh and Rachel too. I have a feeling she and Will Tippen are dating." He shook her head at her even more.

"Sweetheart, all I wanted was a small wedding. Just the two of us, our children, Isabelle, and Sergei." She looked at him curiously.

"What about Michael and Eric?"

"They're not invited." She laughed even more at that.

"Jack, Michael is engaged to Sydney, and he's Isabelle's father. And Nadia and Eric are practical…."

"Don't Irina." He had held his hand up in the air, and stopped her before she could continue. "It's bad enough that I've already lost Sydney. I'm not ready to lose Nadia too." She smiled lovingly at him, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. She rested her head against the side of his head.

"Jack, you haven't lost any of them. They might be grown-ups and have lives of their own, but they'll always be your little girls. They'll always need you and love you." He smiled a little shyly, and she gave his cheek another kiss. "But you have Maddie and Caitie. It'll be years before they start dating."

"Years? No, no. Try never. I'm never letting go of them." She rolled her eyes at him, and then threw one of the cushions in his face. They both laughed.

"Getting back to the guest list. Look, I don't really want to invite Chase, but that might be an icebreaker too. If she sees that we're including her, then maybe that'll help her to be a little friendlier towards me." He sighed, giving in.

"Okay. If you think it'll help, we can invite her."

"Thank you." He smiled back at her. "Now, Rachel goes on the guest list too, and I'll put a guest for her to bring. Or should we send an invitation to Will, and then cross off a guest for Rachel to bring?"

"Will Tippin is Sydney's friend. Not mine."

"Oh come on, Jack. After everything he's been through, and after everything you've done to help him out. He was also here at the house."

"Fine, invite him. But send out an invitation to him, and don't allow Rachel to bring a guest. I don't want her showing up with some stranger. I want the wedding to include guests we actually know." She nodded as she wrote down their names.

"Then we need Marshall, Carrie, and Mitchell." She wrote down those names as well. "Are we missing anyone? Do you want to invite Ben?" Jack thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, he helped you too, but the two of us hasn't really been that good friends for years." He thought about it a little more. "Why not. Since we're inviting Kendall, it's only fair that we invite Ben." She wrote down his name and then looked at the guest list.

"Okay, I think that's it." They looked over the list and nodded. Irina started to feel a little sad. She didn't show it much, but Jack still noticed. He caressed her cheek and spoke softly.

"What's wrong?" She turned to him smiling.

"Now why do you think anything's wrong?" He smiled back.

"Because, although you think I didn't notice you looking a little sad, I did. And I'd also like to think I know you." She took his hand and kissed it.

"It's nothing, Jack. Really."

"Don't tell me it's nothing. Something's clearly making you a little sad. If you can't tell your own husband then who can you tell?" She nodded.

"It's Katya. She's my sister and she won't be at my wedding. I know she's not your favorite person, but believe me, Jack, she wasn't trying to kill Sydney."

"You're right that she's not one of my favorite people. But if you say she didn't try to kill Sydney, I believe you." She smiled at him.

"Thank you. And if it makes you feel any better, she's not one of my favorite people either. Not after she tried to get her claws into you, when I specifically told her, you were off limits. Even when you tried to get away from her, she still came at you. I know you went to her, but she shouldn't have made any advances at you in the first place. And she also never apologized for doing that, and I don't think she ever will. But she's still my sister and I love her, and I would've loved for her to be at our wedding. Now I know that you probably wouldn't want her there, and I'd respect that. You're after all the man I love, and will spend the rest of my life with." He smiled lovingly at her.

"Thank you." She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

"But that being said, do you think there's anything you could do to get her a pardon?" He was taken aback by her question. "I know I'm not in a position to ask that of you. I'm not looking to abuse your power as a CIA director. But Katya is smart and has a lot of knowledge. She could be helpful to the CIA." He looked at her stunned.

"You want Katya to work for the CIA? I seriously doubt she wants to do that."

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't. She never wanted to be part of that kind of life. But I also know she eventually would like her freedom, and this might be the only way for her to get that. If those were her odds, then I'm sure she would want to work for the CIA."

"I'll agree with you that she's a smart person, and I'm sure the CIA could benefit from her knowledge. But I don't know if they'd agree to it." She nodded her understanding and looked down a bit. He took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. "But I can always ask." She looked at him surprised.

"You would really ask the CIA about that?" He smiled compassionately at her.

"Yes, I'd do it for you. Besides she probably has a lot of information that would be of value to the CIA. If she gave up all her information and agreed to work for the CIA, I think they might agree to a pardon. And it would be in the CIA's best interest to have her work for us with her knowledge and skills." She smiled at him, kissed him, and then hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." He smiled back at her.

"Don't thank me yet. We don't know if it'll work. I'll call Ben tomorrow, and then at the office tomorrow you can tell me if there's anything Katya might know that will be of value to the CIA. I can then give that information to Ben. That might help things along."

"After everything Katya has done to you, you still want to help her out, and that means more to me than you'll ever know." She kissed him softly. "Now getting back to our wedding plans. I'm going to ask Sydney and Nadia to be my bridesmaids, which means that you need two best-men."

"What? That's easy for you to say. You have it easy with being able to pick our daughters. Who on earth am I going to pick?"

"You have lots of choices." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Fine. I guess I choose Sergei and Marcus then."

"You can't choose Sergei."

"What? And why not?"

"Because, I need someone to give me away, and I plan on asking him. But Marcus is a good choice, so now you only need one more." He rolled his eyes at her again and she laughed. "What about Marshall?" She had a hard time controlling her laughter, and even more when he glared at her un-amused.

"Oh very funny. You're enjoying this a little too much. None of us will be able to get a word out when were saying our vows, because Marshall will be crying too much." She laughed out loud and he did too a little. "Just leave the decision up to me. I'll think of someone else." He put an arm around her and pulled her closer. "Why don't we let the plans be for a while and enjoy our engagement?" He started kissing her neck and she moaned a little.

"I'd love to, but Nadia will be back from the movies sooner or later, and I doubt she'd be thrilled to find us naked on the couch." He laughed against her skin, which tickled her, and she wiggled a little.

"Why don't we go to our bedroom then?" He looked at his watch. "It'll be at least another hour before she gets home. We can have fun in the bedroom, and then go for a swim after to cool off. She won't be able to tell that something has been going on." She looked at him seductively.

"I like that idea." They got off the couch quickly, not wanting to waste precious time.

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The next day at APO everyone was excited to hear about Jack and Irina's engagement. Sydney and Nadia told their closest friends how their father had the ring custom made, and Jack got a little embarrassed and a little uncomfortable by the way Marshall was looking at him, with big puppy dog eyes and smiling lovingly at him. Later Jack and Irina talked about Katya and then called Devlin. Irina told him a lot about her sister and that she wasn't trying to kill Sydney, and how she trusted her sister with her own life, and knew for a fact that she wouldn't endanger the CIA. She also gave Devlin a few leads that might be worth checking out that could help Katya. He agreed to look into the leads and go over what Irina had said, and said that he, Jack, and Irina should have a meeting to discuss the matter further.

Later that day the invitations went out in the mail, and two days later Kendall walked into Jack's office with the invitation in his hand. Irina was in Jack's office too, going over some work. They both looked up when Kendall knocked and entered.

"I was just curious. Is this a joke?" He waved the invitation at them and looked at them curiously. Irina smiled at him.

"No, the invitation is no joke. We would like you to be a guest at our wedding." He looked at her a little surprised and at Jack too.

"Oh well, thank you." She nodded at him. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure that you were being serious. I'd love to come." She smiled broadly at him.

"We're glad to hear it." Jack gave Kendall a nod and a small smile. Kendall smiled back.

"Well, I just came to make sure. I'll let you get back to your work." He gave them a nod and then left.

Thirty minutes later Dixon walked into Jack's office. Irina was still there.

"Do you guys have a minute?" They both nodded and Dixon gave them a small smile in return. "It's regarding the wedding invitation. First of all thank you for wanting to include me in your wedding and my children too." They both gave him a warm smile. "We would love to come. But about Hayden." Irina looked and spoke sincerely.

"Marcus, we didn't invite her to mock her. I would like for things to go better between myself and her, and I thought inviting her to the wedding could be an icebreaker. Please don't think that it's anything but that." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"I don't believe that, and I appreciate you inviting her, even when you have no reason to do that. But I think Hayden might take it the wrong way." She nodded her understanding. "I'll ask her if she wants to go, and then give you her answer later." They smiled and nodded. He gave them a nod indicating he was leaving. Irina nudged Jack, and he knew what she wanted him to do.

"Marcus." Dixon turned around and looked at Jack. "I need a best man, and I would be honored if you would stand up with me." He was giving Dixon a warm sincere smile, and Dixon returned it.

"Thank you, Jack. I'd be honored to stand up with you on your wedding day."

"Thank you." They gave each other one more nod, before Dixon left.

Later Marshall and Carrie walked into Jack's office. Jack and Irina looked up from their work when they came in. Marshall smiled widely.

"Thank you so much for the invitation. That's really sweet of you. I mean super sweet. That you would want us to be part of your special day, is really a beautiful gesture. I just wish Carrie and I could've returned the favor. I mean we couldn't really return the favor to the both of you, since you weren't here, Irina. Come to think of it, you weren't here either, Jack. You were on a mission." He looked at Irina. "Oh you see, Carrie and I weren't married when she got pregnant. In fact she didn't really want to marry me, but when junior came along…actually he's not really junior. It's not like his name is Marshall junior. His name is Mitchell or Mitch if you prefer. But anyway, she went into labor and all of a sudden wanted to get married, and I was in the middle of helping Jack and the gang out with their mission from my office. So, thinking quickly, I get Eric ordained over the internet. Just like that." He snapped his fingers. "And he was ordained and married us. We of course, wanted all our friends to be there, but it was quite impossible. But maybe we can return the favor by throwing a party at some point or something?" Jack glared at him, Carrie shook her head because of his constant and at times annoying rambling, whereas Irina smiled sweetly at him.

"It's sweet of you to offer, but there's no reason to return the favor. We weren't there when the two of you got married, but we're here now for any future celebrations you might have." He smiled back at her and was about to speak again, but Carrie beat him to it. She didn't want him to ramble again.

"What Marshall and I came here to say, is that we would love to come to your wedding. All three of us." Jack smiled now and gave Carrie a nod.

"We're happy to hear it." Marshall was about to say something again, but Carrie grabbed him and dragged him out of the office before he got a chance to say anything. Jack turned to Irina and rolled his eyes at her. "And you wanted him to stand up with me." They both laughed, but not too loud. They got back to work, but Irina couldn't help but think about what Marshall had said.

"Jack?"

"Yeah." He looked up at her from his work.

"We have figured out where to have the wedding, when the wedding will be, which guests to invite, having sent out the invitations, but we haven't talked about who's going to marry us."

"No, you're right. We've completely forgotten about that. I mean, we only got engaged the other day, but it's kind of important to get that out of the way early." She nodded.

"I was thinking about what Marshall said." He let out a small laugh.

"You're actually able to make out what he's saying?" She laughed a little and then hit him playfully on the arm.

"Be nice. Yes, I am." She shook her head at him. "I was thinking about the part where he said that Eric married them. Why don't we get Eric to marry us too?" He looked at her surprised. "None of us are religious, Jack, so I see no point in getting a priest to do the ceremony. But having a friend, or practically a family member, performing the ceremony that would be something special. And he knows us, and is funny, so who better for the job." He eyed her.

"You're actually being serious." She nodded and he thought about what she'd said. "Well, I guess that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Come to think of it, it would make the wedding more special." She smiled back at him. "Let's ask him." He picked up the phone and called him at his desk. A few minutes later Eric walked in and looked at them in mock seriousness.

"Am I in trouble?" He laughed and Irina laughed at that too. Jack just rolled his eyes.

"No, but we have a favor to ask of you." Eric looked at them a little surprised.

"Well that certainly sounds intriguing. Shoot."

"Jack and I would love for you to marry us. Will you do that?" He looked at them completely surprised. He hadn't expecting them to ask him that.

"You want me to marry you?" They both smiled at him.

"Yes. Marshall just told us that you married him and Carrie, and we thought you would make the perfect choice for the person to marry us. You know us, and you're family. It would make the wedding more special." He smiled at them broadly after the words had sunk in. He walked over to them and spoke sincerely.

"Thank you very much for asking me to perform the ceremony. I'll be honored to do it." Irina stood up and they hugged. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Eric. That means a lot to us." He smiled back at her, and then reached his hand out to Jack. He took it and shook it.

"Thank you, Jack. I'm honored."

"Thank you for doing it, Eric. It means a lot to us." Eric got all excited.

"This is great. Can I go tell everyone or do you want to tell people?" Jack and Irina looked at each other, both knowing the answer to Eric's question just by looking in each others eyes.

"Go ahead and tell everyone." He smiled broadly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." He was out of the office in a matter of seconds, and Jack and Irina couldn't help but laugh.

A few minutes later Sydney and Nadia walked into their father's office and told them how happy they were that Eric was performing the ceremony. Nadia was especially thrilled and thanked her parents a lot. Throughout the day the others told them how exciting it was that Eric would be performing the ceremony, and Rachel also told them that she was coming to the wedding.

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Later in the evening Dixon and Chase were at his place having dinner alone. Stephen and Robin were out to dinner with their grandparents. Dixon walked over to a drawer and got the invitation for the wedding out, and gave it to Chase.

"What's this?" She read it and got mad and annoyed. "Yes, the rumor about their marriage reached the office. I can't believe the nerve she has of inviting me to their wedding. She just wants to throw it in my face that she's free and able to do what she wants, doesn't she?" Dixon didn't really want to get in the middle of things between Chase and Irina. He felt for Irina, and thought Chase was going too far. But he couldn't very well choose Irina's side over his girlfriend. So he tried to stay as neutral as possible.

"I asked them about it, but they sincerely want you at their wedding. They want it to be a start for our working relationship to grow stronger." She scoffed at that idea.

"Oh please. That's a joke. She is what she is. A criminal who belongs behind bars. Jack is a smart man and a brilliant agent. I can't believe he's allowing himself to get fooled by her again." She threw the invitation on the table. "Well, I'm certainly not going to be fooled by her. You can tell them we're not going."

"Actually, I'm going." She looked at him dumbfounded.

"You're what?"

"Jack is my friend and he's asked me to be his best man, which I've agreed to. And Irina. Well, she's in a way my friend too." He had kept his voice calm and neutral, but she was looking at him even more wide eyed, but also looked at him a bit angrily.

"You can't be serious?" He simply nodded. "Well, I guess I should've expected that, since you worked with her and also helped her to get her a pardon. Fine, if you want to be fooled by her then by all means do so. But don't let me tell you later on that I told you so." He simply went on with eating his food. "I assume that Stephen and Robin will be staying with their grandparents or with friends when you're at the wedding?" He looked at her.

"No, they're invited and are coming too." She looked at him not believing what he'd just said.

"You can't be serious? You're honestly going to bring them and let them near Derevko?"

"Yes, I'm serious and they've met Irina before. You know that."

"You can't do that to them."

"They're my children, so yes I can." There was a little harshness to his tone. When it came to his children no one else had a say in the matter. No one was going to question his abilities as a father. He spoke to her calmer now. "Can we just go back to eating our dinner, and talk about something else?" She still stared at him, and was still a bit angry. But she picked up her fork and continued eating.

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The next day, Dixon told Jack and Irina that Chase wasn't able to go. They told him it was a shame, but knew that in truth, she didn't want to go. They had also received a phone call from Will, who was honored to be included in their wedding and would gladly attend. Devlin had called them too, and said he was happy about being invited, and was looking forward to the wedding.

A few days later Jack, Irina, and Devlin had a meeting going over a possible pardon for Katya. Some of the leads Irina had provided had been successful. They also talked on the phone with other highly ranking CIA directors, who would help to figure out if Katya could get a pardon.

A week after that they all met again and this time Kendall was there too. The pardoning agreement had come through, and now all Katya had to do was agree to it. The pardoning agreement stated that Katya would travel around the US to the CIA offices when her help was required, and also offer assistance abroad. She would also be attached to APO, and work with them from time to time. Kendall had agreed to be the person in charge of her, and whenever she came to APO, he had to be present and sign her in. If he was unable to be there, only Jack or Dixon could sign her in. As director of APO, Jack would have overall responsibility for everything involved with APO and all agents attached to the black ops division, but she would mainly be Kendall's responsibility.

When Jack and Irina drove home from work, on the day of finding out about Katya's pardoning agreement, Irina eyed Jack. She was a little hesitant.

"Jack, are you sure you're okay with the agreement? About Katya working at APO?" He smiled and then reached over and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I can handle it, and I'll have you to look out for me." They laughed a little. "Besides, she won't be at APO that often. Sometimes more than others, but don't worry I'll be fine. Though, I'm glad that she's mainly Kendall's responsibility." He smiled a little evil, and she shook her head at him.

"Now that's a little cruel. Kendall's a nice person. You should know that by now." He nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But still, better him than me." They laughed a little again, and then he spoke sincerely. "I'll be fine regarding Katya. But we don't know if she'll say yes yet." Irina nodded.

"No, but we might be able to find out tomorrow, when we go and visit her."

"Yeah." She was about to speak, but he beat her to it. "The answer is yes. I'm fine with going to visit her." She smiled at him and kissed his hand, when he'd figured out the answer to her question. "After all, I have you by my side." She held his hand tightly.

"Yes, you do. Forever and day." He looked at her for a brief moment and smiled, knowing how true her words were.

**TBC**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

The next day Jack and Irina went to the prison, where Katya was. Just before walking down to her cell, Irina turned to Jack.

"You're absolutely sure about this?" He wanted to give her a kiss to reassure her, but a guard was with them. Instead he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure." He also gave her arms a gentle squeeze. She gave him a nod and they walked off to Katya's cell.

Katya was sitting looking at the wall. She heard someone approaching but didn't look. Jack stood in front of her cell, and Irina purposely hid behind him. The guard who was with them stood off to the side. No one said anything and a few minutes later Katya turned around. When she spotted Jack she gave him her usual seductive smile. Jack gave her a stern glare in return. She got off her bunk and walked closer to her cell door.

"Hello handsome. Have you come to finish what you started that night at my place?" Just then Irina stepped out from behind Jack, and stood beside him. Katya was surprised to see her, but then she looked at Jack sternly. "Don't tell me you brought me a cellmate, Jack?" Irina looked at her angrily and spoke to her in the same way.

"No, he didn't. He got me a pardoning agreement, and I'm now a CIA agent." That surprised Katya too. "We're also back together, and we're renewing our vows." She held her hand with the ring up for Katya to see. Katya cocked an eyebrow and then gave Irina a slight nod.

Jack turned to the guard.

"Open the cell." The guard did as he was asked and took a step back. Jack turned to Irina. "Take all the time you need, and come out when you're ready." She nodded smiling lovingly at him, and was just about to step into Katya's cell, when the guard stepped closer.

"I can't let you go in there, and I certainly can't let you be here alone." Jack turned to the guard and gave him his Bristow death glare.

"I say she can."

"Well, I say she can't."

"And why exactly can't you let her go in there?" His voice matched the expression on his face.

"She's a Derevko, and so is she." He pointed at Katya. "For all I know they could be planning something corrupt." Jack walked closer to the guard and spoke in a low and threatening voice.

"Number one," he pointed at Irina "she's my wife, which makes her a Bristow. Number two, she's a CIA agent. Number three, I'm a CIA director, and it would be unwise for you to go against a superior officer. Now tell me, which one of these points that I've just made, are not clear to you?" The guard swallowed a few times, intimidated by Jack. "You will keep your thoughts regarding my wife to yourself, and you will not go against my orders. If you go against my orders, I will have you locked up for disobeying a superior officer, and you'll be occupying the cell next to Miss Derevko. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ye..yes sir."

"Good. Now you and I will leave and let them have their privacy." The guard was still frozen in place. "Now." The guard quickly spun around and walked out fast. Jack turned around to look at Irina. "Take your time, sweetheart." She nodded again and he left. Irina stepped into the cell, and she and Katya just stood there looking at each other for a while.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order on the pardoning agreement and on your upcoming wedding. When will you be renewing your vows?"

"On our original wedding day."

"So, did you just come to tell me that, or is there another purpose to your visit?"

"No, I didn't just come to tell you that. I also came to give you this." Irina handed Katya the documents she had in her hand regarding the pardoning agreement. Katya read it, and then looked at Irina not believing what she had to agree to.

"You can't be serious? I have to join the CIA in order to be free? And even if I do I'm not really free."

"You'll have plenty of freedom."

"There has to be another way."

"There isn't. I had to join the CIA too in order to get pardoned. But I must admit I don't mind."

"I never wanted this kind of life, and you know it." For the first time, Irina looked at her sister more softly, and spoke with the same softness.

"I know. You got into this business because of me, and I'm sorry about that. But the CIA doesn't look too kindly on someone, who points a gun at one of their agent's heads. This was the only way to get you out of jail. If you accept the agreement, you'll be able to spend time with your nieces and nephew. You'll be able to see Sergei, and we'll be able to spend time together." Katya eased up on her stern look too, and spoke softer.

"By my nieces, I'm sure you're only referring to Maddie and Caitie. Well, possibly Nadia too, but I'm sure Sydney wants nothing to do with me." Irina gave Katya a small smile.

"I'm sure Sydney will come around. She just needs to get to know you better, and you need to get to know her better too." Katya gave Irina a small nod. "Just please consider the pardoning agreement. It would make me very happy, and you won't be under constant surveillance. You'll really be giving a lot of freedom." They looked at each other for a little while longer without saying anything. "Just think about it." Irina turned to leave.

"If I agree, will I'll be able to go to your wedding?" Irina looked back at Katya, with a sad look on her face.

"Katya, you're my sister and I love you. I would love for you to be there on my wedding day, but Jack doesn't want you there. I'm sure you can understand that." She nodded at Irina. "I don't want to go against his wishes. I have no right to do that."

"I understand." They looked at each other for a little while again, and then Irina stepped forward and hugged her sister.

"I love you, Katya." They let go of each other and smiled at each other.

"Give my nieces and nephew a kiss and a hug from me, and say hello to Sergei from me."

"I will. Bye Katya." They smiled at each other, and Irina left closing the cell door. Seconds later the guard returned to lock it.

* * *

When Jack and Irina drove back to APO, they didn't speak much, but after a while the silence got to Jack.

"So, did Katya agree to the pardon?" Irina sighed.

"I don't know. She didn't say, she was going to, but I told her to think about it." He nodded. "I really want her to accept it." He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sure she will."

"Okay, let's talk about something else. Have you decided who your second best man will be? You do know that the wedding is only a few weeks away, and you still have to go and get clothes?" He nodded.

"I actually have someone in mind, but I don't know how you feel about it." She grinned a little.

"Don't tell me you've decided to go with Marshall." He laughed.

"No." They laughed a bit more, before he got a little serious. "I thought about asking Vaughn, but I won't if you'll have a problem with that." She picked up his hand that she was still holding, and kissed it.

"I don't have a problem with you asking Michael. I have no problems with Michael, you know that. He probably still has problems with me, no matter how much we get along. I did after all kill his father. But I don't have a problem with him standing up with you. He might have a problem with it though." Jack nodded.

"He might, but I can always ask him, and see what he says."

"I think it's sweet that you're asking him. You two have been through a lot together, and it's seems right that you're asking him. Sydney will be thrilled, just as Nadia was thrilled that we asked Eric to perform the ceremony."

"Well, he has to say yes first." She nodded and they continued talking about other things on the way to APO.

* * *

When they got back to APO, they told everyone that Katya hadn't agreed to anything, but that she'd think about it. Later Jack called Vaughn into his office.

"Hi Jack. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, have a seat." Vaughn looked at Jack a little oddly, but took a seat.

"So, what's up?"

Jack looked at Vaughn not really knowing how to ask him. Irina had been right that he and Vaughn had been through a lot together. Vaughn was also engaged to Sydney and the father of his grandchild, and he couldn't be happier that Sydney had found someone to spend her life with, though he would never admit that to anyone. Vaughn had also proven to be a good and trustworthy man, so it seemed right to ask him. But also in reality, he didn't have that many choices left, for who would fill the position of the second best man.

"As you know Irina has asked Sydney and Nadia to be her bridesmaids, and I've asked Marcus to be my best man. But I need a second one. I was wondering, if you'd consider standing up with me?" Vaughn looked at Jack completely surprised.

"Are you serious? Are you really asking me for real?"

"Yes, Vaughn, I'm really asking." Vaughn still sat there feeling surprised by Jack's request. "If you don't want to because of Irina, I'll understand." Vaughn finally got over his surprise a little, and smiled at Jack.

"No, Jack, Irina's not the problem. I'm just really surprised that you would ask me. Thank you that means, a lot." Jack gave Vaughn a half smile.

"Well, I didn't really have that many options left. Eric's performing the ceremony, and Sergei is giving Irina away. That only leaves me with you, Marshall, Will, Devlin, and Kendall. Devlin and I are not that close friends that we once were, and well, you can imagine how close friends I am with the rest of them, and maybe see why I don't choose Marshall." Vaughn smiled at Jack even more.

"So, you think of me as your friend?"

"No, I didn't say that." He was still giving his half smile, and Vaughn couldn't help but laugh a little. He'd seen that smile on so many occasions, one of them being when Jack took him to one of his storage spaces.

"Okay, Jack. Whatever you say." He looked at Jack more sincerely. "Thank you, Jack. I'd be honored to stand up with you." He stood up and reached his hand out to Jack. Jack shook it and nodded.

"Thank you." He gave Vaughn a nod, which Vaughn returned. Before walking out the door, Vaughn turned around to Jack.

"You really do like me." Vaughn had a grin plastered on his face, and Jack gave him the same half smile he'd just given Vaughn a few seconds ago. Vaughn walked over to his desk smiling all the way. Sydney noticed and walked over to him.

"What did dad want?"

"He asked me to be his best man." Sydney looked at Vaughn surprised, and he couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, I think that was my expression when he asked me."

"Dad seriously asked you?" Vaughn nodded, and Sydney smiled.

They hugged and talked for a few minutes, before Sydney went to see her father. She knocked on his door, and when he motioned for her to come in, she just stood there looking at him, with a huge smile on her face. Jack smiled back at her.

"I guess Vaughn told you?" She nodded and then walked over to him, throwing her arms around him and hugged him.

"Thank you, dad." They smiled at each other and Jack let out a little laugh.

"Get back to work." She let out a small laugh too, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Irina was thrilled that Vaughn had agreed to stand up with Jack. She talked to him a little later, after Jack had told her, and they ended up having a nice talk. Indeed they were getting closer. Everyone else was thrilled that Vaughn was the second best man too.

* * *

The next day they were all gathered for a morning meeting. When they had just finished and were about to leave, Eric stopped everyone.

"Can I talk to you two?" He pointed at Jack and Irina. "Well, the rest of you can stay as well." They all nodded and sat back down. "Well, since I'm performing the ceremony, I just have a few questions, if that's alright?" Irina smiled at him, and was happy that he was taking such pride in performing the ceremony. Jack smiled too.

"Sure go ahead." Eric nodded, and took out a piece of paper from his briefcase. Nadia smiled too, at how seriously Eric was taking all of this.

"Okay number one." He looked at Jack and Irina. "Will the two of you be writing your own vows?" Jack and Irina looked at each other. "I take it the two of you haven't talked about that?"

"No, we haven't. I can't believe we haven't thought about that. What do you think, Jack? It might be fun, and it'll be our words, our truth we give to each other." Jack smiled at her. At first he hadn't been that thrilled by the idea. He wasn't sure if he could stand there talking about his feelings in front of everyone. But Irina's reasons made sense, and it would make the wedding more special.

"I think that's a great idea." She smiled back and nodded at him.

"Great. I'll just make a note of that." Eric wrote it down and moved on to his next question. "What kind of music do you want to be played at the beginning of the ceremony?" Jack and Irina looked at each other again shrugging.

"Also something we haven't thought about. We'll have to get back to you on that one." Eric nodded and made a note.

"Okay, I just have one final question." They all nodded and looked at Eric. He looked up at them, looking as serious as he had looked at the other two questions. "Do you intend to live in celibacy until your wedding night?" Jack stared wide eyed, Irina started to laugh, Nadia and Sydney sent Eric angry looks, Vaughn, Dixon, Kendall, Carrie, and Rachel started to laugh a little, and Marshall couldn't hold back either. Eric still maintained his serious attitude. "You know, if you stay celibate, it'll make the wedding night more special." That made Vaughn, Dixon, Kendall, Carrie, Marshall, and Rachel laugh even harder and Irina too. Jack was now giving Eric an angry glare and Sydney and Nadia were shaking their heads in embarrassment. "Well, are you?"

"Oh come on, Weiss. You've seen them in action. I think you know the answer to your own question." Now Vaughn received an angry glare from Jack. Everyone was still laughing, except for Jack, Sydney, and Nadia. Irina looked over at Eric and shook her head, which cause Jack to get a little red in the face.

"Okay, now that most of you have had fun at our expense, I suggest we get back to work." He got out of his chair.

"No wait, I have something to ask." Everyone looked at Vaughn and Jack gave him a glare. "No honestly, this is not another remark." Jack rolled his eyes and sat back down. "Since you now have chosen your two best men, and most of us, who're going to the wedding are here, I think it's time we start planning your bachelor party."

"I'm not a bachelor." He started to get out of his chair.

"Oh come on, Jack. You're getting married again, so you need to have a bachelor party. A real, original bachelor party." Nadia turned her attention to Eric, and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"And by a real, original bachelor party, do you mean one that includes strippers?"

"Oh come on, honey. Every man has strippers at his bachelor party. It's tradition."

"Yeah." Vaughn supported his friend, but received the same look from Sydney that Nadia was giving Eric.

"Oh really? So I guess that means that you'll be having strippers at your bachelor party?"

"Well, I won't be the one planning my own bachelor party, so I really can't say, honey."

"Let the boys have their strippers. I'm sure Irina wouldn't mind a couple of male strippers herself, when we throw her a bachelorette party." Sydney and Nadia looked horrified at Carrie, and Marshall looked at her a little nervous. Carrie just shrugged. "Sorry, I know the two of you are the ones, who're supposed to plan the party as the bridesmaids. But I assume I'm invited, and it would be fun with some male strippers." They were still looking horrified at her, and Carrie just shook her head at them laughing. "Would you mind, Irina?" Carrie looked at Irina, who looked at her amused.

"No, I actually think it would be quite fun." Jack looked at her horrified too a little, and then looked at her a little annoyed.

"Mom, we're not going to a strip club with you, or having some strippers over. You can just forget about that. There'll be none of that."

"Now, sweetheart, you have to admit that there's nothing like a well build man wearing a white naval dress uniform, and then seeing him stripping down to nothing." Jack, Sydney, and Nadia all stared wide eyed at her, but they only had time to do that for a few seconds.

"Oh yes." Now everyone turned to look at Rachel, who was lost in thought by the image Irina had just described. She suddenly felt everyone looking at her, and she instantly turned red in the face with embarrassment. "Sorry."

"See. Your mother wants strippers, Rachel wants strippers, and I want strippers. You two are clearly outnumbered." Sydney and Nadia were shaking their heads at Carrie, not believing she'd started this whole thing. She laughed at them. "Just think about it."

"Yes, and Jack you think about strippers at your bachelor party." Jack looked at Vaughn annoyed and his voice matched his mood.

"I've already told you that I'm not a bachelor. Therefore I'm not having a bachelor party, and I'm certainly not having strippers anywhere. Now back to work." He got up and left the conference room, and headed back to his office. The guys got together and started making plans for a party for Jack, and the girls got together too, after Sydney and Nadia had gotten over their shock. Irina walked to Jack's office.

"I think you should let the guys throw you a bachelor party:" He looked up and glared at her.

"Oh, so I should just let them throw me a party and have strippers over, or let them take me to a strip club? You would really be okay with that?" She just shrugged.

"Yeah, I'd be fine with that. You're not going to be doing anything with them. It's not like you're cheating, and neither would I be, by having strippers at my party. Which by the way, I'm having." He looked at her dumbfounded. She grinned at him. "I meant I'm having a party. It's up to the girls if they want to take me to a strip club or have strippers over." He was still annoyed.

"So, you'd actually go to a strip club or have male strippers at the party, and have them dancing all over you, and it wouldn't bother you?" She shook her head. "Well, it would bother me." She laughed.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's my party, and you just have to accept that." He stared at her wide eyed and she smiled at him. "I should get back to work. Bye." She waved at him and left. The truth was, Irina didn't want to have strippers at her party, nor did she want Jack to have strippers at his. But since she knew, he didn't want to have strippers, she could have a little fun with him by saying she wanted strippers at her party.

Jack sat in his office for several minutes annoyed by the whole situation. He didn't want Irina to have strippers at her party, and he certainly didn't want to have strippers at his. He knew by now that he would be going to a party regardless of how he felt about it. The guys would insist, and they would get Sergei in on it, and no doubt Marcus would be convincing too. The only woman he would ever want to see strip in front of him, was Irina. That thought suddenly gave him an idea, and he suddenly remembered that he'd once helped out a guy, who'd told him that he owed him a favor. Jack had never needed that favor until now.

When he got home from work that night he found the phone number and gave the guy a call.

* * *

Jack had been out of the office a lot during the next couple of days. He'd told everyone that he couldn't tell them where he was going, and everyone assumed that it meant he was meeting with a contact. On some occasion, he'd said he was going to headquarters. Even if that had been his same cover story for when he had the ring made, no one suspected any differently this time. He had also told Irina that he had to work late.

It was four days after the whole bachelor party talk at the office, when Jack and Irina went to bed. Irina was already in bed. She was reading a book and was waiting for Jack to get out of the bathroom. She thought it took longer than usual, but she was also busy with her book that she didn't say anything to him.

When she heard the door to the bathroom open she put down her book and looked in Jack's direction. Her jaw dropped and she stared wide eyed at him. He walked out of the bathroom wearing a white naval dress uniform, with insignia, medals, and the hat. He walked like a military man, making the right turns. She watched him with desire in her eyes as he walked to their small desk and placed the chair at the foot of their bed. Then he proceeded and walked over to Irina and picked her up.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"No talking please."

He sat her down on the chair and continued his military walk over to the stereo. He pressed play, and got back to Irina and turned his back to her. When the music started to play, he started shaking his hips and butt, to the rhythm. He turned around and started dancing in front of her, walking closer and closer. He placed his legs, so that her legs were in between his as he moved his body in her face. Then he took a step back and turned around, bending so she could look at his butt. He shook it, and then grabbed it, placing a hand on each of his butt-cheeks, squeezing, and running his hands all over his butt. He looked back at her, and when he saw that she was just about to touch, he gently slapped her hand away.

"No touching please."

He ran his hands all the way down to his ankles, and looked at her through his legs. He could see that she was completely turned on. When he got back up again, he smiled a little to himself. He walked a bit forward in the room, putting some distance between them, before turning around. He started to unbutton his jacket, very slowly. She followed his every move very intensely. He danced and moved to the music, and when the jacket was completely unbuttoned, he slowly let it slide off his shoulders and arms. He kept it on one wrist, and then swung it over his head, before finally throwing it to the side.

Moving closer and dancing, he was once again standing very close to her. He grabbed his white t-shirt at the top and ripped it down the middle. He then stripped out of it, and started to run his hands all over his chest. Irina was licking her lips, just watching him, and wishing she could run her hands all over his chest too. He turned around and backed up against her. Bending down, he put his hands between his legs and pulled Irina's legs together, so that he could sit on her gently. He moved up and down her thighs with his butt, and also started moving his butt a bit higher to her stomach. She swallowed many times and kept on licking her lips.

He stood up, walked a few steps and kicked off his shoes. He kept dancing and then put his hands on his pants and ripped them off. Irina stared wide eyed, when she realized he was wearing a thong. He took off his hat, putting it in front of him, and then turned around, swaying his hips as he walked towards her. He stopped when he stood in front of her, and then pulled the thong off. He swung it around a bit, before throwing it away over his shoulder. The song that was playing now was 'You Can Leave Your Hat On'. When it ended Jack removed his hand and the hat stayed on.

They kept looking at each other both of them with eyes that were filled with lust and desire. He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

"Now can I touch?" He grinned.

"Yes, please." She was out of her chair in an instance and threw her arms around him, kissing him hard, passionately, and deeply, running her hands all over his body. He let out a little yelp. She looked at him confused.

"I think it's best to remove the hat." She grinned at him a little, taking the hat and putting it on her head. "It suits you. However, at the moment your clothes don't." He quickly helped her remove her clothes and soon she was as naked as him, with the exception of the hat. He picked her up and placed her on the bed, where they made love slowly and passionately. The hat fell to the floor rather quickly.

Later they lay in each others arms catching their breaths. When Jack had gotten some control of his breath he looked at Irina.

"So. Do you still want strippers at your party?" She looked at him and grinning.

"Jack, I never wanted strippers at my party. I only said I wanted to, to have a little fun with you, because I knew you wouldn't want any at yours, and that you'd be annoyed when I said, I wanted some at mine." He stared at her dumbfounded.

"You mean I went to all this trouble for nothing? I took lessons for nothing?"

"Oh no, Jack. It was not for nothing. It was amazing. You've got talent, and I really, really appreciate what you did. Believe me." She spoke to him huskily, and then kissed him passionately. When they broke the kiss, she looked at him oddly. "Wait. Did you say you took lessons?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm been out of the office so much lately, and the reason why I've been home late the last couple of nights." She looked at him dumbfounded.

"How did you know where to go for lessons?" He laughed.

"Well, a few years ago, I was out walking around town. I came down a street, and I noticed in an alley that a guy was about to be beaten up by five guys. I couldn't just let them beat him up. First of all he was outnumbered, and second of all he sounded innocent. Well, I walked over there and told them they should leave him alone. They laughed in my face, saying that I should get out of there before I got hurt. I said the same thing to them. That only pissed them off, and they came after me. Well, they were the ones, who ended up getting hurt."

"Of course." She smiled proudly at him, knowing that it would take more than a couple of hoodlums to be able to harm him. He smiled at her.

"Anyway, they ran off, to the best of their abilities since they could hardly walk. The guy I'd helped thanked me and wanted to repay me. I said there was no need to, but he still insisted. He ended up giving me his card, and said that if I ever wanted to give my significant other a special treat, he would be more than happy to give me free lessons in how to do a strip show." Irina laughed out loud.

"Oh, I would've loved to have seen your face, when he told you that, and he gave you his card." Jack laughed too.

"Yeah, I thought he was nuts. Well, somehow I ended up holding on to his card, and luckily enough he was still working at that number, and he remembered me. He was thrilled to give me lessons and even got me the costume."

"Well that was certainly nice." She kissed him passionately again. "So now, do you have to return the costume, or do you get to keep it?" She looked at him with desire.

"I get to keep it." She licked her lips.

"So, hopefully that means, you'll be putting on another show some day?" He grinned and so did she.

"We'll see about that. Right now I think we have more important things to attend to." He started kissing her neck and moved his hand up and down her body. Irina moaned in pleasure.

"Yes, please."

**TBC**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

The next morning Irina was standing in the kitchen thinking of the previous night. Jack was helping the triplets bring out some coloring books, and Nadia was just finishing getting ready to go to work. She couldn't believe that Jack had done that for her, but she certainly appreciated it. And she'd made sure to thank him plenty last night. She was lost in thought with a big smile on her face, when Jack walked back into the kitchen. He looked at her smiling, and walked over to her.

"What have you all smiling?" She looked a little surprised to see him standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry, what?" He laughed.

"I asked, what have you all smiling?" She smiled back at him.

"You do. I can't get your performance last night out of my head. You were amazing. Thank you." Jack blushed a little. She gently stroked his chin with two fingers.

"Thank you too. But you thanked me last night several times, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, and I'll thank you several times still." She leaned in and kissed him. She then proceeded to put her arms around his neck, and kissed him more deeply. He put his arms around her, so that they were as close as they could possibly get. When they broke the kiss they still stood as close as they could possibly get.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to you thanking me." They both grinned.

"I also can't get over the fact that you wore a thong." Jack grimaced a little.

"That wasn't all that pleasant." She laughed.

"Too bad you can't wear the uniform at the wedding. I'd let you wear boxers underneath." He shook his head at her. She narrowed her eyebrows and looked at him with desire. "Any chance of you bringing it on the honeymoon?" That made him laugh even more. "Wait. Are we even going on a honeymoon?" He smiled at her.

"Yes. I cleared it with Devlin. We've got a week. We could probably have gotten more, but I didn't want to get too much time off. I don't want anyone to get angry with us for taking too much time off, or particular you, since you're so new to the business. I know that no one at APO would be angry with you, but there are others." She nodded.

"You mean like Chase."

"Yes, her, and that guard at the prison wasn't pleased with you either. He's nothing, and for that matter so is Chase. I don't give a damn about the people, who can't see that you've changed, or can't see that you're not the person, we thought you were for years. But so that you won't take any heat for it in the future, I thought it was best to only take a week."

"I agree."

"I'm also a director and have a responsibility, even though the place could run just fine with Marcus and Kendall running things. But I was also thinking about the triplets. I'm sure they'll understand why we're going away alone, but since they haven't had both of us in their lives much, I think it's best, not to stay away too long." She smiled lovingly at him.

"I don't want to stay away from them too long either. Believe me, I'm looking forward to having you all to myself with no interruptions and not having to put on pajamas, but I'm still going to miss them terribly."

"Yeah, me too. But just think that one day we'll have the best of both worlds." He wiggled his eyes at her, while she looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"One day the triplets will be too old to come and snuggle with us, and like you said, we won't have to put on pajamas." She laughed at him shaking her head, and he laughed too. "Don't get me wrong. I love that they come and snuggle with us, and I'm sure it's a sense of security for them, but I really enjoy having your naked body next to mine." She smiled at him.

"Me too." They kissed again. "Now, about the honeymoon. Have you planned where we're going?"

"No, I thought we should do that together."

"Then shouldn't we do it soon? The wedding is soon, and we actually have a lot of details to sort out still."

"I know, but I didn't think it would take that long to figure out. It's only a week, and I don't think that we'll have much trouble getting in anywhere. Money is not a problem, and Devlin said we could use one of the CIA planes to get back and forth. So we only have to agree on a location. I must admit I've actually thought about Venice, or near Venice. That way I could see your restaurant." She smiled lovingly at him.

"That certainly sounds like a great place to go for our honeymoon, and very romantic. We should talk about it tonight." He nodded smiling. "That's really nice of Devlin to let us use one of the planes, seeing as it's for personal use."

"Yeah, it is. I think, he considers it as a part of our wedding gift. But I also think, he wants to apologize for the way Chase's been acting. I think, he feels a little responsible for her behavior."

"He shouldn't feel that way, but it's still nice to give us the plane. Now about clothes. I need to find a dress for me, dresses for all of the girls, and you need to find clothes for you, Ethan, Michael, and Marcus. That's one of the details we have to sort out, and we should do it soon." He nodded.

"I've thought about going tomorrow. I don't think that'll take too long either." She shook her head at him.

"Men. You have it too easy. All you have to do is throw on a suit, and you're home free. You don't have to put as much thought into it as women do." He laughed.

"I promise I'll put a lot of thought into it, and you can wear anything you want. Remember I told you that you look beautiful and sexy no matter what you wear." He kissed her.

"Yes, I remember. But this is a special occasion, so I need to put extra thought into it." They smiled at each other, and then they kissed again. They stopped kissing by the sound at the doorbell. They both sighed. Irina looked at her watch. "Why did Sergei have to be punctual now that we were enjoying ourselves?" Jack let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I agree, but we also need to get to work. But don't worry. We'll have lots of fun tonight, I promise." They looked at each other with desire in their eyes, and kissed one last time before heading off to work.

* * *

At APO Jack had arranged with Vaughn and Dixon that they'd go out to get clothes the next day. Irina had just made plans with Sydney and Nadia, and Carrie and Rachel joined them now by the coffee maker.

"So Irina, are you still up for having strippers at your party?" Sydney and Nadia sent Carrie an annoyed glare, whereas Irina smiled at her.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Carrie, but I never wanted strippers at my party." Sydney and Nadia let out a sigh of relief. "I just said that to tease Jack." Carrie nodded while Rachel looked a little disappointed.

"So, do you want us to keep up the act, so that you can keep on teasing Jack?" Irina shook her head.

"No, I told Jack that I was only teasing, and that I don't want strippers at my party." Carrie nodded but then cocked an eyebrow at Irina.

"Just what made you decide to tell him so soon that you were only teasing?" Irina smiled with a grin in her eyes. Sydney and Nadia instantly felt very uncomfortable with the look in their mother's eyes, and Carrie had a feeling what it meant too. She couldn't resist asking, knowing that it would make Sydney and Nadia uncomfortable. "So, the look in your eyes. Does that mean that Jack put on a show for you?" Sydney and Nadia gaped at Carrie.

"Carrie, we don't want to know that." Sydney turned to her mother. "Mom, we don't want to know that. Don't answer that question." Irina couldn't help but grin and blush a little.

"I don't think your mother has to say a thing. The laugh and the look on her face say it all." Sydney and Nadia looked at their mother briefly. Sydney then closed her eyes and shaking her head, while Nadia just closed her eyes shut.

"Mom, I live in that house with you. I don't need to know what goes on."

"I never said anything, sweetheart. Carrie guessed."

"You might not have said anything, but you indicated it. You could've hid it better."

"I'm not ashamed of my love life. And while I might not go around parading how it is, out of respect for your father, I'm not going to hide it completely." Sydney and Nadia groaned.

"I'm quite sure, dad doesn't want you to as much as even indicate as much as you were doing, even though you didn't say anything." Irina shrugged and laughed a little.

"Probably not. But who's going to tell him? Are you two going to tell him?" That made Carrie and Rachel laugh, while Sydney and Nadia shook their heads. "I guess that's a no?" Sydney and Nadia gave their mother an annoyed look, while she just smiled back at them amused.

"I think it's about time we got back to work." Sydney and Nadia were about to leave, when Carrie stopped them.

"Wait. Rachel and I came to talk about the party. I know that you two are the bridesmaids, but Marshall said that the boys planned on throwing Jack a party on Wednesday, so we thought we could have a party for Irina on Thursday. None of us expect the party to be wild, so we thought we could have them on a week night. What do you say to that?" Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, then at Rachel, and then at their mother.

"Sure I'm fine with that."

"Me too. Mom?"

"Yes absolutely."

"Then it's settled. We'll have a party on Thursday. We can plan the details later." Everyone nodded. Carrie turned to Irina. "And I promise no strippers. But I'm sure you can always get Jack to put on another show." Irina and Carrie shared a laugh. Rachel grinned too, while Sydney and Nadia gaped again. Without saying anything the other three returned to work. Sydney and Nadia were still standing there. They looked at each other shaking their heads and grimaced before they too returned to work.

* * *

The next day the guys went out to get clothes as did the girls. Jack and Ethan had gotten home sooner than the girls. Jack was now preparing dinner, and Ethan coloring when the girls got home. Maddie and Caitie walked over to their father greeting him with a hug, and then walked over to do some coloring with their brother. Nadia said hi to her father, and then walked over to her siblings. Irina watched Jack for a moment smiling, before walking over to him.

"Hi sweetheart." He smiled at her, and she gave him a soft kiss.

"Hey yourself. So, did you find a dress and dresses for everyone?"

"Yes, we did. I assume you found something too?"

"Yes, we did. And I put a lot of thought into it." They shared a laugh that left the kids wondering what on earth was so funny.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you in your suit, looking as handsome as ever." She smiled lovingly at him and they put their arms around each other.

"I can't wait to see you in your dress either. You'll take my breath away, like you did the first time we got married. Like you always do." He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"So, did the boys talk to you about your bachelor party on Wednesday?" He groaned a little.

"Yes. I really don't want a party. I'm not a bachelor."

"Oh come on, Jack. It'll be fun."

"But I'd rather spend the evening with you." She kissed him.

"You're sweet. But before you know it, the party is over and you're back home with me. Just humor the boys. They're throwing you a party, because they care about you."

"If they cared about me, they'd respect my wishes of not having a party." She shook her head at him grinning. "Well, at least they promised me no entertainment. So as long as there's none of that, I'm happy."

"I told the girls that I don't want any entertainment either. We're just having a nice girl's night."

"Good." They smiled at each other and kissed again. The kids had been looking at them the entire time. They hadn't heard what had been said, but unlike their parents they'd noticed how Jack and Irina had stood there swaying from side to side, dancing a little. Nadia and the triplets looked at each other smiling, and returned to coloring and leaving their parents to dance.

* * *

On Wednesday evening Jack had reluctantly gone to Sergei's place for his party. Eric had picked him up, telling Jack that he could then drink as much as he'd like. Jack had insisted on driving himself, and said that he had no intention on drinking much. However, Irina had told him that he should let Eric pick him up, since it was a nice gesture. When Jack and Eric arrived every man, who'd be attending the wedding was there, with the exception of Devlin, Ethan, and Stephen.

"So Jack, are you up for some fun?" Jack gave Dixon a small smile.

"Honestly no." They both laughed a little. "But I'm here, and promise to have a great time."

"Good. Don't worry. The party isn't going to be wild. Let's get you something to drink." Jack walked with Dixon further into the living room and greeted everyone, while Vaughn and Eric walked into the kitchen. When they were there, they faced the door, so that Jack wouldn't all of a sudden sneak up on them.

"So, did you get it?" Vaughn nodded and pulled out a small bottle with a clear liquid.

"Yes. This stuff is tasteless, works very quickly, and will knock him out for about an hour." Eric smiled.

"Great." He looked at his watch. "It'll be hours before we need to use it. Why don't we order some food, and enjoy the evening?"

"That's a great idea." They smiled at each other and walked off to the living room.

The evening was quite pleasant. They played cards, talked, and laughed. Everyone had been looking at Jack and noticed he hadn't been drinking a lot. Eric looked at his watch and then looked around at the others. Dixon nodded at him, knowing that it was time. He stood up and got his empty bottle of beer.

"Well, since I folded, I think I'll just get myself another beer. Can I get anyone something to drink? Jack?" Jack looked up at Dixon and smiled a little.

"No thanks. I don't want anymore to drink." Everyone looked around at each other. Dixon tried again.

"Are you sure? Not even some water, juice, or any other non alcoholic drink?" He didn't sound desperate but kept his tone casual, so as not to make Jack suspicious. Jack looked at Dixon again and smiled.

"It's kind of you to offer, but no thanks. I'm not thirsty." Vaughn gave Dixon a look indicating that he'd take it from here.

"What about a glass of champagne, Jack? We have two bottles in the fridge for the occasion. You can't have a bachelor party without champagne." Jack let out a small laugh.

"Okay, champagne it is. Since you bought it, I'll have a glass." Vaughn nodded and threw down his cards.

"I'm out. I'll go and get the champagne ready." Vaughn stood up and so did Sergei.

"I'll get the glasses." They both walked off to the kitchen. When they got there Vaughn got the champagne and Sergei got the glasses out. He put them on the table and looked over his shoulder to keep an eye out for Jack. He shook his head at Vaughn. "I can't believe I'm helping to do this." Vaughn grinned a little at Sergei.

"Every bachelor deserves entertainment. I know Jack doesn't consider himself a bachelor, but he's getting the entertainment regardless." Sergei grimaced a little, which made Vaughn laugh. "Don't worry. I doubt you'll hear about it. Jack's not the sort of guy to tell." Vaughn opened the bottle of champagne just as Dixon walked into the kitchen. "Just in time, Marcus. Could you guard the door, so Jack doesn't walk in?" Dixon nodded and Vaughn poured the champagne into the glasses. He separated Jack's glass from the others, so they wouldn't get mixed up. He then put the clear liquid in Jack's glass and took it in his left hand. "Okay Marcus, you can come and help with the glasses." The three of them carried the glasses into the living room, and everyone was standing up now. Vaughn handed Jack his glass, while everyone received a glass as well. Dixon raised his glass.

"A toast." Everyone raised their glasses too. "Jack, congratulation on getting married again. May you and Irina have a long and happy life together. To Jack and Irina."

"To Jack and Irina." Everyone said it simultaneously and Jack smiled around at everyone, before they all took a sip of the champagne.

"Thank you. I appreciate this evening, and your support for Irina and me." He raised his glass again, as did everyone else, and they all took another sip. They sat down on the couches and chair drinking their champagne. Suddenly Jack started to feel dizzy and his vision got blurred. He looked around at everyone, and could make out that Vaughn and Eric were smiling broadly. "What the hell did you put in my champagne?"

"Sleeping drugs. You didn't want any entertainment, but every bachelor deserves that. You wouldn't agree to it voluntarily, and we knew we couldn't overpower you consciously and tie you to a chair. So the only way for us to tie you to a chair and get you to watch the entertainment, was to drug you." Jack got more and more dizzy, as he looked at Eric explaining.

"I….I…told you, I don't wan….want en…ente…..ent."

"Entertainment." Vaughn finished his sentence. "Yes, we know. But we still think you'll enjoy it." Jack was about to get up from the couch, but he ended up falling back on it, and he was out like a light. They waited for a moment, not wanting to go anywhere near Jack, in case he wasn't out completely. After a few minutes Dixon walked over to him and looked at him.

"He's out like a light alright." Eric walked over to him.

"Good. Now let's get on with the plan."

* * *

Jack started to wake up sometime later. He could feel that he was tied to a chair and instinctively started to wiggle out of his ropes. The more he moved the more awake he became. He gave up trying to get out of the ropes for a moment and blinked several times, adjusting his eyes to the light and surroundings. He was quickly fully awake as he recognized the surroundings. He was tied up to a chair in his own bedroom.

"It was about time you woke up." Jack tried to turn around when he heard Irina, but she appeared on the other side of him. "Here I am." He turned around and his jaw dropped to the ground, as he saw Irina standing before him in a very small and sexy French maid's uniform. "So, do you like the entertainer?" Jack looked her up and down without being able to say anything. She couldn't help but smile, and then bent down to kiss him, after another few moments went by without him speaking. Even that took him a few moments to respond to. But when he finally did respond, he responded eagerly. After a few minutes they both needed air. Jack swallowed a few times.

"Yes, I like the entertainer very much." She smiled at him.

"Good. I hope you like the entertainment too."

"I don't doubt that I will. But before you get started, could you please untie me?"

"No, you'll stay tied up. It took all of my self control and strength not to touch you the other night. And although you have a lot of self control and strength, I know you can't hold out as long as I could. And you're not allowed to touch until after the show is finished." She kissed him again, before turning on the music and started dancing for him, and slowly stripping.

Jack watched her entire performance with his mouth open, looking her up and down, and keeping his eyes on her intensely the entire time. She had been right. If he'd been untied he'd be allover her. He would've been allover her from the start. His eyes grew wider and wider with every item of clothes she took off. She was down to only her panties by now. She turned her back to him and started to give him a lap dance. He immediately started to kiss her naked back with big open mouth kisses. She turned her head to look at him.

"Hey, hey. I told you, you couldn't touch me."

"You should've gagged me then."

She got off his lap and turned around so she was now facing him. He was about to start kissing her chest, but she gently took his head in her hands, so that he looked up at her, while she continued to give him a lap dance. She smiled at the pleasure and desire she saw in his eyes. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open though, and he kept swallowing.

"I take it, you're enjoying this?"

"Yes, very much. But if you're not going to remove the ropes, could you please remove my pants and boxers? They're starting to get a little tight." She leaned into his ear and sucked a little on his earlobe before speaking huskily into his ear.

"Yeah, I can feel that." She licked her lips. "It feels nice. You feel nice, Jack."

"I personally, would feel a lot better, if you untied me, and I would feel better if I could touch you. Please, Irina, untie me."

"But the show isn't over yet, Jack."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." Irina took her time to think about, while she continued with the lap dance.

"Hmmm, no. I'm going to finish the show." He groaned.

"You're torturing me, woman."

"But it's a good kind of torture, and your release will be so much better." He groaned again as she went on with the lap dance. She eventually got off of him and danced again. He had a hard time focusing, but did so to the best of his ability. The remainder of her clothes fell to the floor. He fought against the ropes as she touched herself allover her body.

"Irina, please untie me. I can't take it anymore." She finished dancing as the music finished too, and then walked over to him kissing him. She looked at him and then smiled.

"I'm a little sweaty, so I'll just go and take a quick shower. You just sit," she looked down at him, and then looked up at him again "tight, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She gave him a quick kiss, and walked off towards the bathroom. Jack stared wide eyed at her leaving.

"What? No Irina, you can't do that to me. Come back here. Irina, Irina." He wanted to call out to her louder as she disappeared into the bathroom, but he also knew that he couldn't, in case he woke up the triplets or Nadia. He tried to get out of his ropes, and looked up at the direction of the bathroom, when he heard Irina laughing. She turned off the lights in the bathroom and walked towards him still laughing. Jack gave her an un-amused glare. "Very funny."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I couldn't resist. You should've seen the look on your face, when I said I wanted to take a shower." He rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha, ha, you had your laugh. Now untie me. Everything on me is really tight right now." She gave him a passionately kiss before going to the drawer to get out her knife. She quickly cut the ropes, and he got out of them, as she put the knife back in place. He took his shirt off, and was about to take his pants off too, when she stopped him.

"Allow me. I tortured you, so I should release you." He held out his arms, and let her take off his pants, boxers, shoes, and socks. She then let him to the bed, where she gently pushed him down on it, and then looked down on him for a few seconds. "And now let me help you with a different kind of release."

After having caught their breaths after the first round of lovemaking, Jack rolled to his side to look at her.

"You were right. The release was much better." They laughed and he kissed her passionately. "Thank you for the entertainment. I loved it. But I can't believe the guys drugged me. What's even worse is that for them to do that, they knew what you had planned to do to me. You do realize that Vaughn and Eric will tease me about this, right?" She laughed.

"I told them to keep the teasing to a minimum. And they don't know exactly what I had in mind. I only told them I wanted to give you some kind of entertainment in connection to your party, and they suggested helping in drugging you and tying you up. Well, they did bring you here, and tied you to the chair, so I'm guessing they have a pretty good idea." He groaned, and she kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to repay you for the amazing show you put on the other night. When they suggested drugging you, I thought the set up would be perfect. It was your bachelor party, and they would get you the entertainment the party needed." He smiled at her.

"Well, like I said, I loved the entertainment, so I guess it's not that bad that they have an idea what went on. And you were right. Tying me up was the right thing to do, because I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you. And the only way to tie me up was to drug me. Well, had I known of your intentions, I'd probably had let you tie me up." She smiled seductively at him.

"That's good to know. Next time I'm putting on a show for you, I'll know that you'll voluntarily let me tie you up."

"Next time? So there'll be a next time?" She kissed him.

"You didn't rule out the idea of putting on another show for me, so I can't very well rule out the idea of putting on another show for you." She pulled him to her, and kissed him passionately. "But right now, I think we have more important things to attend to." She wiggled her eyes at him, and they kissed passionately again.

* * *

The next morning at APO all the guys were giving Jack a look and a grin whenever the women weren't looking. They had promised Irina that last night wouldn't be the talk of the office. Jack had noticed the looks and grins, and he was a little annoyed with them, even though he'd definitely been happy about the entertainment. Later the morning meeting came to an end, and everyone was about to get up.

"Could all the guys please stay for a few minutes?" Everyone looked at Jack. The guys had a feeling that he would mention the entertainment last night. Irina knew that he had something else in mind, whereas the rest of the women were clueless. Jack saw the puzzled look on the faces of Sydney, Nadia, Carrie, and Rachel. "I just need to thank the guys for last night that's all." They all nodded and left. Irina shook her head and smiled at Jack, when all the guys had their backs turned to her, and she was standing by the door. Jack saw her, but remained casual so that he wouldn't make anyone suspicious. When she left the guys started laughing a little, looking around at each other, before looking at Jack.

"So how was the entertainment, Jack?"

"Admit it, you enjoyed it."

Everyone laughed again, and Jack smiled around at everyone. But in a split second he turned on his Bristow death glare, and was staring them all down. They all stopped laughing immediately. Marshall was a little nervous, Kendall was a little taken aback too, Vaughn and Eric froze a little, whereas Dixon remained calm. He knew that whatever the entertainment was, Jack had enjoyed it, and that he wasn't really mad. He just wanted to get the upper hand and stop the looks and grins. Jack voice was low and threatening, and it matched the expression on his face perfectly.

"Don't you ever drug me again. Ever. I don't care if it's to help with a plan my wife has. If you drug me again, I'll have you locked up. Do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely Jack." Jack looked at Dixon, and knew he hadn't fooled him with his death glare or icy tone. Dixon didn't do anything to give away that he didn't buy Jack's threat, but Jack knew he hadn't fooled Dixon. The other guys were another matter.

"Of course, Jack." Kendall nodded at Jack, and Jack looked from Kendall to Marshall.

"Um….uh….ye….yes….Ja…Mr Bris….um I mean Director Bristow. It won't happen again. Honest. Sorry." Jack looked at Vaughn.

"Sorry. It won't happen again." Eric was next.

"Yeah, sorry Jack. But shouldn't you really be telling Irina this? I mean she suggested she'd entertain you, so isn't she really as much to blame as the rest of us?" That only earned Eric an even more deadly glare, which caused Eric to freeze a little more. "Sorry. You've got my word that it'll never happen again." Jack gave everyone a nod.

"Good. Now back to work." He left the room and smiled a little to himself. He might not have been able to fool Dixon, but he could still scare the hell out of everyone else.

Everyone back in the room looked around at each other. Kendall shook his head and stood up.

"The next time you get a bright idea, or hear of a bright idea, keep me out of it." He left a little annoyed. Vaughn looked at Eric.

"You've got to admit that we came up with drugging him. And I'm sure that Irina made up for the part she played in all of this last night." Eric nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish he would lighten up. I'm sure the entertainment was great, so at least he could be a little nicer." They both shook their heads and left. Marshall was still a little frozen in his place. Dixon looked at him.

"Marshall, are you alright?" He looked at Dixon.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's just Jack. I mean, he can be the sweetest guy, but he can also scare me to death." Marshall gave Dixon a nervous look and then stood up. "I better get back to work."

Dixon sat back in his chair amused by the whole situation. He didn't really know when Marshall had seen Jack acting like the sweetest guy, but he had to admit that Jack had definitely changed a great deal. But he was also quite happy that he could enjoy seeing how much Jack could scare everyone. After sitting by himself for a few minutes, enjoying what had been going on in the room, he too returned to work.

* * *

Later in the evening Jack reluctantly let go of Irina, when Carrie came to pick up Irina and Nadia. The three of them and Rachel were meeting at Sydney's for a girl's night. Vaughn had gone with Isabelle to spend the evening with Eric at his place. Irina and Nadia went to the door while Carrie got some bags out of her trunk. Sydney greeted her mother and sister when she answered the door, and then waited for Carrie. She looked at the bags she was carrying.

"What's in the bags?"

"Booze." Sydney stared at her, and Carrie just smiled. "Since we're not having strippers, we should at least have booze." Sydney rolled her eyes at her but grinned.

They had a nice meal at Sydney's place and talked. Later in the evening they'd moved to the living room and Carrie got out the booze and shot glasses.

"May I suggest a game?" Everyone looked at Carrie interested.

"I'm intrigued. What did you have in mind?"

"It's called 'I have never.' What you do is, you mention something that you've never done. The rest of us, who've done it, must drink a shot of vodka. The vodka is in honor of you Irina." Irina smiled proudly at Carrie.

"Thank you. Well, I'm up for that game. How about the rest of you?" Everyone else nodded, and Carrie poured everyone a shot of vodka, and put out bottles around the table, so that they could pour themselves a shot, when they needed to refill their glass.

"Nadia, why don't you go first?"

"Okay. Let me see. I've never been on a bus here in LA." Everyone else drank and refilled their glasses. Sydney was next.

"I've never had ice-cream for breakfast." Carrie and Rachel drank. Carrie was relieved that it was her turn.

"Well, I've heard that having sex on the washing machine is supposed to be quite a pleasurable experience. Something about the spin drier. I've never had sex on a washing machine." Sydney, Nadia, and Rachel gaped a little, and Sydney and Nadia gaped even more, when Irina drank. Irina smiled at Carrie.

"It most certainly is a pleasurable experience. It's a _very_ pleasurable experience. I definitely recommend it."

"Mom, please stop." Sydney shook her head, while Nadia just stared out into space. Rachel was next, and she thought, she'd join Carrie's way of thinking.

"I've never joined the mile high club." Both Irina and Sydney drank. Irina looked at Sydney amused.

"It's seems you're not so innocent yourself, sweetheart." Sydney turned a little red in the face, and filled her glass without looking at her mother. Both Sydney and Nadia were a little afraid now that it was their mother's turn. Irina thought for a moment, and then smiled a little wicked. "I've never faked an orgasm." Sydney and Nadia closed their eyes shut, shaking their heads and then drank along with Carrie and Rachel. Irina stared a little wide eyed at her daughters. "I must say, I'm a little surprised with you two. You have my genes, so I didn't think it would be possible for you to fake it. I apologize for that." Sydney and Nadia gave their mother an un-amused glare. Nadia shook her head.

"My turn again. I guess, I might as well join in the direction this is going. I've never called out another guy's name while having sex with a different guy." Carrie was the only one that drank, and the others looked at her a little surprised. She just shrugged.

"It happened once. I accidentally called Marshall, Tony, which was the name of an ex-boyfriend of mine. He was curious why I'd called him that name, and I told him it was because, he was like that tiger, adorable like him, but at the same time rough in the right ways." Irina laughed out loud, Nadia and Rachel snickered too, while Sydney stared a little wide eyed.

"You mean, you referred to Marshall, as Tony the Tiger from the cereal?" Carrie nodded.

"Yeah. The worst part is, now he's actually saying great, the same way the tiger does it, every time we've made love." That had everyone roaring with laughter. Carrie shook her head. "I can't believe, I just told you that. I'm not drunk. I can hold my liquor." Irina cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Care to put that to the test?" Carrie saw the challenge in Irina's eyes.

"Are you saying you can out drink me?"

"I'm Russian. I can hold my liquor."

"I'm younger."

"Which means, I've got that much more experience."

"Bring it on." Irina looked around at the others.

"Are the three of you in?" Rachel nodded, while Sydney and Nadia looked at each other grinning a little.

"What are we supposed to do? Just drink and drink?"

"No, we can keep playing drinking games. That'll eventually lead us to just drink and drink. The one, who doesn't throw up, wins." Sydney and Nadia looked at each other again, and then back at their mother.

"You're on. We're half Russian, so we should be able to hold our liquor as much as you." Irina laughed a little.

"We'll see."

"A bit cocky, aren't we, mom."

"No, simply stating the facts, sweetheart." Everyone laughed and continued with the drinking game.

Several hours later Rachel had conceded defeat. She'd thrown up and was now sleeping it off in one of the bedrooms. They'd emptied a lot of bottles, and were still drinking, but without playing a drinking game. They were all drunk but none of the others had thrown up yet. They were talking about everything, and most of the times they just talked about whatever popped up in their heads.

"I wish that Marshall was taller." Carrie drank straight from the bottle and passed it on to Irina.

"Yeah, I really like that Jack's taller than me. And I love his big, strong hands. I love him touching me allover my body with those hands. Oh and his tongue. He does wonders with that too." Sydney laughed and Nadia looked at her confused, not having heard a word.

"What's so funny, Syd?"

"It's just what mom said. She said that she loves dad's strong hands allover her, and that he does wonders with his tongue." Sydney laughed again, but realized what she'd just said, when Nadia grimaced. She turned to her mother, who was laughing at her. "Eeeeewwww, mom. Don't say things like that."

"Yeah, mom really. Stop saying things like that. Syd, hand me the bottle. I need to drink that image away." Sydney handed Nadia the bottle and she drank a large mouth full. When she swallowed, she grimaced. "I think I just made a big mistake." She got up, giving the bottle to Sydney, and stumbled towards the bathroom. Irina laughed and called out to her.

"So much for your Russian genes, sweetheart." Irina took a swig of the vodka and Carrie signaled for the bottle.

"So Irina. What's Jack like in bed?"

"Don't answer that, mom." Irina laughed.

"Why don't you go first, Carrie."

"I never slept with Jack." They both laughed. "Okay, I'll go first. Marshall is absolutely great most of the times. But on a few occasions, and I mean a few, he could be better. I mean, he gets the job done, but still, on a few occasions he could be better."

"Brutal honesty. I like that." She took another swig and smiled lovingly. "Jack's amazing every time. He always leaves me completely satisfied, but still hungry for more." Sydney groaned and Irina laughed. "So, Sydney? What's Michael like?" Sydney gaped at her mother, and was just about to say something when Nadia returned.

"Eric's fantastic, in case you're wondering. Two thumbs up." She indicated that with her fingers and fell back on the couch.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"No, not really. I'm never drinking again." They all laughed at that.

"So, Sydney? What's Vaughn like?" Sydney gave Carrie a glare.

"Oh come on, sweetheart. Just tell us."

"Fine, fine. Vaughn's great. He's the best. Are you happy now?" Irina and Carrie both smiled.

"See. That's quite a compliment you gave Michael. You should tell him that. I compliment your father all the time." Sydney and Nadia groaned. "I really miss your father now."

"Yes, mom, we know. And you miss his big, strong hands, his amazing tongue, his firm butt…" Sydney cut off Nadia.

"When did she mention dad's butt?" Nadia looked at Sydney confused.

"She didn't mention that?" Nadia looked at her mother. "You didn't mention that?" Irina thought for a moment, and then shook her head.

"No, I don't believe I did. But your father certainly has a firm butt. Not to mention great lips." Sydney groaned again and turned to face Nadia.

"See what you started? I hope I don't remember any of this in the morning. I need something to drink. Where's the vodka?" Irina laughed.

"It's in your hand, sweetheart." Sydney looked in her hand and just stared at the bottle for a few seconds, before taking a big swig.

* * *

An hour later Vaughn's phone rang. He noticed that it was Sydney and smiled immediately.

"Hi honey. Is it time to go and get Marshall, and pick up your guests?" Vaughn had arranged with Marshall that he'd come by his house and pick him up. That way, Marshall could pick up his car and drive, Carrie, Irina, Nadia, and Rachel home.

"_No, no, no. We're having fun."_ Vaughn could hear that Sydney was clearly drunk. Her speech was slurred.

"Syd, how much did you have to drink?"

"_A lot, a lot, a lot. But I'm still awake. Rachel isn't and Nadia is not completely awake either. But I just called to let you know that you are great in bed. You real__ly are. Mom said I should compliment you on that. So thank you, Vaughn, for always satisfying me. Now if you'll excuse, I have to go throw up."_ With that Sydney hung up the phone, leaving Vaughn with a horrified look on his face. Eric saw the look on Vaughn, and got a little worried.

"What's up, buddy? Is Sydney alright?"

"Uh, yeah. She's drunk, and so is the rest of the party I think. We better call Marshall, and tell him it's time to pick them up, and I think it's best if you come too. Rachel is apparently sleeping, and I see no point in waking her. But I think it would be best, if you helped Marshall get Irina and Nadia home." Eric looked a little puzzled by the still horrified look on Vaughn's face, but nodded and got off the couch.

* * *

Vaughn walked through the door to his place a little while later carrying Isabelle, with Eric and Marshall behind him. They noticed Irina and Carrie drinking, while Nadia was asleep on the couch. Irina and Carrie smiled when they saw them.

"Hi boys." They all waved at them.

"Where's Syd?" Vaughn looked around.

"Sleeping."

"Okay. I'll just go and put Isabelle down, and check on her." He left and Marshall walked over to Carrie, while Eric walked over to Nadia.

"Honey, I think it's time I got you home." Carrie shook her head at Marshall.

"But we still have more to drink."

"I think you've had enough." She looked at him and shrugged.

"Yeah, I think we also better get you home, Irina and Nadia."

"Good idea, because I really miss Jack." Eric tried to wake Nadia, which wasn't quite successful. He finally decided just to carry her to the car. Vaughn got back at the same time as Eric did.

"Well, Syd is out cold, and so is Rachel. Can the two of you manage to get them home?" Eric and Marshall nodded. "Okay, let me just get some plastic bags in case they throw up in the car. Irina and Carrie both laughed saying that they wouldn't, but they were both placed in the car with a plastic bag in their hand.

* * *

Jack was just about to head to the kitchen to get something to drink, when he heard laughter outside the front door, and what sounded like someone, not being able to get the key in the door. He walked to the door and opened it, and was shocked to see Irina drunk and laughing her head off with her key in her hand. He was also shocked to see Nadia drunk, and how Marshall and Eric struggled to keep a hold of both of them. Nadia was in the middle of them while Eric had a hold of Irina on the other side of him. However, when Irina saw Jack, she got out of Eric's arms and threw her arms around him, crashing her lips and tongue allover his mouth. He backed into the hall with her, and Eric picked up Nadia and carried her into the hall with Marshall following him behind. After a few seconds Irina let Jack catch his breath. She spoke huskily against his lips.

"I've missed you." Then she crashed her lips on him again. She then proceeded to kiss his neck and throat. Jack was completely stunned but snapped back to reality, when Eric was about to carry Nadia upstairs.

"Where do you think you're taking her?" Eric rolled his eyes at him.

"I'm putting her to bed, Jack. If you can wrestle Irina off of you, so that you can put Nadia to bed, be my guest." Jack shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm just putting her to bed. I'll be as quick as I can." He walked upstairs with her, while Jack tried to wrestle Irina off. Irina still had her mouth allover Jack's, but now let go and grabbed his belt with her hands.

"Time for Mr. Fun to come out and play." Jack stared wide eyed and noticed Marshall doing the same, and quickly put his hands on top of Irina's stopping her.

"Irina, stop." She still tried to unbuckle his belt, but when they heard Carrie throw up, she stopped and they all turned to look out the door. Irina started laughing and threw her arms up in the air.

"I win." She turned around and crashed her lips on Jack again, and then starting kissing Jack's neck again. Jack looked at Marshall curiously, but he just shrugged at Jack, not knowing what Irina had won or why. She grabbed Jack's belt again, and looked down in that area. "Time to get up and come out and play, Mr. Fun." She was just about to grab Jack's zipper, but he stopped her staring wide eyed at her, and was really embarrassed with Marshall there.

"Irina, stop. Not now." Marshall looked away from Jack and Irina and looked towards the car.

"Um, I should probably go and check on my wife, and leave you, Irina, and Mr. F…" Marshall stopped himself, and turned to see the horrified look in Jack's eyes, at what Marshall had almost said. "Um, I'll just leave. Tell Eric I'm waiting in the car. Bye." He ran out of the house, and Irina tried to unbuckle Jack's pants again.

"Irina, not here. Eric's still in the house. Would you please stop?" She looked up at him with hungry eyes.

"But I want you, Jack. I want you badly, and I want you now." She crashed her lips and tongue allover his mouth again, and Jack was relieved that she threw her arms around him. She then moved her hands allover the back of his body. On his back, on his butt, and also in his hair. Eric walked down and saw Irina squeezing Jack's butt. He quickly got down the stairs and headed for the door.

"Nadia's all tucked in, and I'm leaving. Bye." He waved quickly and shut the door behind him. Irina smiled at Jack.

"Now Mr. Fun can come out." She went straight for his belt again, but he stopped her.

"At least wait till we get to the bedroom." He was finally able to wrestle her off of him, and he walked over to set the alarm. "Come here." He grabbed her by the hand and took her to the kitchen. She gave him a wicked look.

"I thought you said the bedroom, but I'm up for taking you in the kitchen. Or you taking me." She pondered that for a second, and then shook her head. "We'll take each other." She leaned against the fridge. "We never did it up against the fridge. I can just imagine the sensation of the cold fridge on my back with the rest of me being all warm, because you make me hot. Was that what you had in mind too?" He gaped at her at that image she'd just put in his head.

"No, I just wanted to get you aspirins. You'll feel better in the morning if you take two now." She stumbled towards him, when he was pouring her a glass of water.

"I don't need aspirins. I need you. You'll make me feel better. You always do." She crashed her lips on him again, the second he turned around. He tried to fight her off with one hand, and managed to turn his face, so that her mouth was now allover his cheek.

"Irina, just take the pills and you can have your way with me as much as you want." She tried to roll her eyes at him, but was a bit unsuccessful, because she was too drunk. She took the pills out of his hand, put them into her mouth, and drank the entire glass of water. When she was done, she opened her mouth, to show Jack she'd swallowed the pills. He grinned at her. "Good girl. Now let's get you to bed."

"You have no idea, what a turn on that is." She crashed her lips onto his again, and then started to drag him off towards the bedroom. She stumbled and he decided to pick her up and carry her. "You're so romantic." She sucked on his earlobe, as he carried her upstairs.

When they got inside, she got down and slightly pushed him towards the bed. She locked the door and then ran towards him, crashing her lips on him once again. They fell on the bed with her on top of him. She started out kissing his neck, but then stopped. She stopped completely and Jack was a little puzzled.

"Sweetheart? Irina?" He gently lifted her head and noticed that she'd fallen asleep. He couldn't help but laugh a little before he took off her clothes and got her under the covers. When he had done that, he quickly looked in on Nadia, and laughed a little at her too, knowing that she'd no doubt feel miserable in the morning. He gave her a kiss on the head and walked back to his bedroom, getting under the covers next to Irina. She snuggled close to him in her sleep and he kissed her forehead, wrapping his arm around her. "We'll bring out Mr. Fun tomorrow." He closed his eyes and went to sleep with an amused smile on his lips.

**TBC**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

The next morning Jack instinctively woke up around the time the triplets came to snuggle with him and Irina. He looked at the time, and sure enough, it was around the time, they usually came into the room. He thought he'd get out and stop them before they came into their room. Irina was only sleeping in her panties, and he thought she should also be allowed to sleep. He moved Irina gently out of his arms and got out as quietly as he could. He put on a robe, and got out in the hall, just as the triplets were near the bedroom.

"Good morning, kids." The triplets gave their father a hug.

"What are you doing out here, daddy?"

"I was actually on my way to see you. You see, mommy is not feeling too well, and I think it's best, if we let her sleep. So, why don't I go and tuck you back in your own bed. Would that be alright with you?"

"Is mommy sick?"

"No, she's not sick. But she's just not feeling that well. She'll feel better during the day, I promise."

"Okay daddy." Jack smiled at them, and tucked them back in their own bed.

"Now why don't I read you a story, so that you can fall back to sleep." They nodded and it didn't take them long to fall back to sleep. He gave them a kiss, checked on Nadia, before going back to his own room, and slept for a while longer.

* * *

When the alarm clock went off an hour later, Irina groaned out loud.

"Please make it stop." Jack laughed a little and turned off the alarm clock. He kissed her forehead gently.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"My head is hurting a little. What's possibly good about that?" He laughed a little.

"I take it you drank a lot last night?"

"Yeah, we probably did. I don't remember much." He laughed a little, and she put her hand to her head, suddenly remember something. "Jack, I didn't by any chance try to take your pants off downstairs in the hall last night, when I got home, did I?"

"Yes, you did. You grabbed my belt several times, telling Mr. Fun to get up and come out and play. I think you scared Marshall quite a bit." She looked at him, staring wide eyed as much as she could.

"I said that in front of Marshall?" He nodded and the memory came back to her. "Oh, god I did." She snuggled into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jack. I know you don't like to have things like that indicated in front of other people." He kissed her forehead.

"It's okay. It was only in front of Marshall. Neither of us was comfortable with the situation, but I'm quite sure he won't be blabbing. Oh, and apparently you won."

"What?"

"I don't know. Carrie threw up, and when you heard that, you threw your hands up in the air, and said you won." Irina thought for a moment, and then let out a small laugh.

"I remember now. We were competing on who could hold their liquor. Sydney, Nadia, and Rachel had caved a long time ago, but neither Carrie nor I had thrown up yet. So, when she did that meant I won." There was a small triumphant smile on Irina's lips, and Jack smiled at that.

"That's my girl. Though, I must say that I'm a bit disappointed with our daughters. They're half Russians, so I thought that meant they could hold their liquor. Not to brag, but I'm quite capable of holding my liquor myself." Irina smiled.

"Yes, you are. I guess the part of being able to hold ones liquor skipped a generation." They laughed. Irina then suddenly remembered more from the evening, and snuggled a little more into Jack's shoulder. He sensed, she was worried about something, or embarrassed. Something was definitely going on. He nudged her a little with his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Irina?" She looked up at him, and smiled at him apologetically.

"I just remembered other parts of the evening."

"And?"

"I might've indicated and said other things about you and us." He looked at her a little horrified.

"Like what exactly?"

"Oh I might've mentioned that having sex on the washing machine is quite pleasurable, that I've never faked an orgasm, that I like your strong hands touching me allover my body, that I love your tongue, that you're amazing in bed and leave me satisfied every time, that you have a firm butt. Minor things like that." He gaped and stared wide eyed at her.

"Minor? I would hardly call those things minor." He groaned out loudly. "I can't believe you said that in front of everyone. In front of our daughters."

"I was complimenting you. And I seriously doubt Sydney and Nadia will be mentioning any of it to anyone. And I'm sure Carrie and Rachel won't be mentioning anything either. They might bring it up in front of Sydney and Nadia to tease them and make them uncomfortable, but they won't be mentioning it in front of you." He shook his head at her. She kissed his cheek and spoke sincerely. "I'm sorry, Jack. It was girl's night, and I just wanted to have some fun. Later I got too drunk to really have much control of what I was saying. I just can't help the way you make me feel. I was not allowed to be honest about my feelings for you for so many years. And then there were the years when I wouldn't admit it to you or anyone else. Now that I can tell the world how I feel about you, I want to shout it from the rooftops." He looked at her and smiled a little.

"Couldn't you just tell people, you love me, and leave it at that? I don't think there's a need to compliment me like that." She smiled at him and gently stroked his cheek.

"I can't help but brag. You're amazing in every way." He blushed a little. She smiled more and kissed him.

"Well, just keep the bragging to a minimum in the future." She nodded and he let out a small laugh. "Why don't I take a shower and then go and make breakfast. You need some salty and fatty food when you've been drinking so much, so I'm going to make pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast. You can sleep for a little while longer. I'll tell you when you need to hit the showers." He gave her a kiss.

"See, I was right. You are amazing." She gave him a kiss, and he smiled at her. Then she looked up a little puzzled. "Where are the triplets?"

"I woke up before they got in here, and stopped them in the hall. I told them that you weren't feeling well, and then I tucked them into their own bed. I might be sending one of them up to wake you, so you should probably put on a shirt." He tossed her his shirt, and she sat up to put it on. She put a hand to her head, still not feeling too well. She lay back down and smiled at him.

"Another example of you being amazing." He smiled at her again, before he headed to the bathroom.

When he got out of the bathroom Irina had fallen back to sleep. He smiled to himself and gave her a kiss before leaving. He woke up the triplets, and told them they could keep their pajamas on, and that Sergei could help them get dressed later. They went to the kitchen with him and he started on breakfast. Later he asked them to go and wake their mother quietly, and that they should get their mother to wake up Nadia.

They walked quietly into their parents' room and went to their mother's side, gently pulling at the covers.

"Wake up, mommy." Irina slowly opened her eyes and turned around where she saw the triplets smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Good morning, sweethearts."

"Daddy said it's time to get up."

"Are you feeling better, mommy?"

"A little bit, thank you. But I'll feel better during the day."

"Okay. Daddy said you should wake up Nadia."

"Okay, I'll do that. Why don't you go back down to daddy, and I'll get up." They all nodded and Irina reluctantly got out of bed. She walked off to Nadia's bedroom before taking a shower. She gently sat down on her bed, gently shaking her. "Sweetheart, time to get up. You father is up, and breakfast will be ready soon." Nadia woke up, and instantly put a hand to her head.

"Who's been using my head as a punching bag?" Irina smiled. "My head hurts."

"I know. I'm not feeling too good myself. Why don't you get up and take a nice shower, and then come and get breakfast. You father is making fatty and salty food. It'll be good for you."

"Do I have to go to work today?" Irina let out a small laugh.

"Yes, you do. I doubt your father will accept us staying home, just because we got drunk. Now get up. Come on quickly. The sooner you get up, the less painful it will be."

"That's a load of crap, mom. If I stay in bed and keep sleeping, I'll be in less pain hours from now." Irina gaped a little at her, and then smiled. Nadia smiled apologetically. "Sorry mom, but I really got a bad hangover."

"It's okay. Just get up." She gave her a kiss on the forehead, but Nadia wasn't moving. "Sweetheart, I'm not leaving until you're on your way to the shower, and I really want to get some breakfast, so please get up." Nadia got up reluctantly, and Irina went to her own bedroom a few seconds later. They both got out of their rooms at the same time and headed down to the kitchen together. Jack looked up at them and smiled.

"Perfect timing." He walked over and gave Irina a kiss. "You're looking a little better already."

"Yeah, I feel a little better. I think the shower did wonders." She went to the fridge to get the juice, when more memories from last night suddenly entered her mind. "Uh, Jack?" She motioned for him to join her. When he was beside her, she whispered. "Did I say something about wanting you to take me up against the fridge?" He smiled.

"Yes, you did." She stared a little wide eyed at him. "We went to the kitchen, because I wanted to get you some aspirins, before you went to bed, and you thought I might want to take you up against the fridge. The thought didn't cross my mind before, but I must say I got turned on by the idea, when you mentioned it." He wiggled his eyes at her and she smiled.

"We'll definitely have to do that some day then. And aspirins, yes I remember. I guess that's also why I feel better than I probably would have, hadn't I had them." He nodded and she kissed him.

"Let me guess. Another example of me, being amazing?" She smiled.

"Absolutely." She gave him another kiss before they sat down to eat. Maddie looked up at her parents as they sat down.

"I don't think Nadia is feeling too good either." Jack looked at Nadia and smiled, being amused by how hung over she was.

"No, I don't think she does. How do you feel, sweetheart?"

"Horrible." He laughed a little.

"Yeah, I can see that. Have plenty of breakfast and drink lots of coffee."

"Dad, I can't eat a thing."

"I know you probably can't eat much now, but just eat some. It'll make you feel better. You need the salt and the fat." She gave him a small smile, not being able to do much else, and picked up her fork and started eating. Jack looked at the triplets. "Your sister will feel better later in the day."

"Just like mommy?" Irina looked at them and smiled.

"Yeah, just like me." The triplets nodded and kept on eating their breakfast.

* * *

At APO Jack couldn't help but be amused at the sight of Sydney, Carrie, and Rachel. They looked just as bad as Nadia. Kendall looked around at the three of them too, as well as at Irina and Nadia. He walked up to Jack and looked out at them puzzled.

"What's up with them?" He turned to look at Jack and Jack looked at Kendall. He gave Kendall an amused smile.

"They're all hung over." Kendall stared a little wide eyed at Jack.

"They're hung over?" Jack nodded.

"As you probably know, Irina had her party last night. Well, apparently they decided to play drinking games, and ended up getting really drunk." Kendall stared a little more at Jack but then started laughing. Jack started to laugh too.

"Well, it's a good thing we're not sending them out on a mission, to a meeting or something. They can hardly hold themselves together. Well, Irina seems to be doing better than the others, but still. Should they even be here in their state?"

"They would be better off at home. But they're the ones, who decided to get drunk, knowing they'd be going to work the day after. Therefore they'll suffer the consequences." Jack and Kendall shared another laugh and looked at the women.

"There's certainly never a boring moment around this place."

A while later Irina walked over to Vaughn. He had in a way not really been looking her in the eyes the entire day, and she didn't really know why.

"Michael, do you have a minute?" Vaughn looked up at Irina and felt a little uncomfortable. He still wasn't really able to look her in the eyes.

"Uh, I'm a little busy. So if you can make it quick."

"Okay. It's just that you seem to be a little uncomfortable around me, and you're not really able to look me in the eyes. Have I done something to you? Did something happen yesterday, when you came home? I must admit I was drunk, and there are probably a lot I don't remember." Vaughn looked at her a little, trying his best to smile, so that she wouldn't keep being suspicious.

"No, nothing happened. I'm just not used to seeing you or any of the rest of them that drunk. It took me by surprise, that's all. And I've had to take care of Sydney and Rachel today, so…." He trailed off and smiled a little more.

"Are you sure?" Vaughn nodded.

"Yes, absolutely. Now if you'll excuse me I should return to work." She smiled and nodded, letting him leave. She still wasn't convinced that there wasn't something wrong. She noticed her daughters, Carrie, and Rachel by the coffee maker, and decided to get herself a cup of coffee and see if maybe one of them remembered something.

"Hi." They all smiled through their hangover at Irina. She poured herself a cup of coffee, and then looked at Sydney. "Sydney, do you know what's wrong with Michael?" Sydney looked at her mother puzzled.

"No. I don't think there's anything wrong with Vaughn. Why do you ask?"

"He's just acting a little strange to me. It's like he's a little uncomfortable around me, and he won't exactly look me in the eyes. I asked him about it, but he says there's nothing wrong." Sydney was puzzled by that. He hadn't seemed much different to her. She spotted Eric walking over to them and decided maybe he knew something.

"Hello ladies. I take it, you'll be drinking plenty of the coffee today, since you were all really wasted last night?" He couldn't help but laugh. Nadia gave him a slight push.

"Please stop making jokes. My head hurts too much to shake it at you, and to roll my eyes at you." He smiled at her, and gently kissed her forehead.

"Sorry. I'll leave you all alone, and continue the teasing when you're all feeling better. I just came to get a cup of coffee, while there's still some left." He poured himself a cup.

"Eric, do you know if there's something wrong with Vaughn? Mom said he was acting a little strange, but I haven't noticed anything." Eric turned to look at Sydney, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, you did call him last night, and when you hung up, he did seem a bit strange. Almost a bit horrified. I asked him about it, but he said nothing was wrong. He said you were just drunk. After the phone call we went to your place." She was still puzzled. "Well, I'll leave you ladies alone." After he left Sydney looked around at the others.

"I called Vaughn? When did I call him, I don't remember?" The others shrugged, but after a couple of seconds realization dawned on Sydney, as the memories came back to her. She put a hand over her eyes and then rubbed her temple. "I remember now. I called him to thank him for being great in bed." She looked at her mother. "I told him that you said I should tell him that." Irina started to laugh a bit, remembering too that Sydney was on the phone with Vaughn, and having heard the conversation.

"That's right. No wonder he can't look me in the eyes."

"Oh god." Everyone looked at Nadia as she groaned.

"What is it, Nadia?" Nadia looked at Sydney.

"I just remembered other details about last night."

"Such as."

"Such as what led you to call Vaughn." Sydney looked at her puzzled, and Nadia grimaced when she realized she'd had to tell. "It all started with the drinking game, and the direction the game was headed. Mom wasn't exactly shy about revealing details, and stuff about dad. She told us, she compliments dad all the time. Please tell me you remember, Syd, because I would rather forget all of this, and I don't really want to continue." Sydney looked at Nadia horrified, suddenly remembering the evening a lot better.

"Yes, I remember, and there's no need to go on." Irina and Carrie laughed. Rachel laughed a little too, but had apparently missed out on some fun. "Please stop laughing. It's not funny." Irina tried to stop her laughter, and tried her best to apologize with her eyes. Rachel stopped and kept hers to a snicker, while Carrie still laughed a bit more. Sydney turned to Carrie and gave her an amused glare. "How's Tony the Tiger?" Carrie immediately stopped laughing and shut her eyes, while Irina, Nadia, and Rachel were laughing a little.

"Right, I told you that. And that was even before I got drunk. Okay, I'll stop laughing." Sydney turned to her mother.

"I think we should just leave Vaughn alone and not mention anything. He'll be alright. I might talk to him, but the rest of you shouldn't mention it." They all nodded and decided that they'd keep their girl's night to themselves.

* * *

The time before the wedding went on with planning the wedding and getting everything arranged at the place the wedding was being held. The inn had a small cottage right next to the inn, which was new to the place. It was reserved for special events, if people needed a bit more privacy. On the day of the wedding Irina, Sydney, Nadia, Maddie, and Caitie would get ready there, while the guys got themselves ready in one of the rooms inside the inn. At night Jack and Irina would be spending their wedding night in the cottage, and Sergei had arranged with the triplets that they would come snuggle with him.

A few days before the wedding Jack, Irina, and Kendall headed to the secret CIA operation facility. They were all needed there to help with some work, each of them needed for something different.

Irina finished first, and she walked around a bit at the familiar surroundings. Not knowing when Jack and Kendall would be done, she decided there was a place she'd like to visit. She walked to the guard, who was guarding the cells. She noticed him and remembered him from her time in jail. She smiled at him, and he got up from his chair.

"Hi. It's good to see you again." He nodded.

"I take it, it's better to see me from this side, then from the inside of the cell?" He smiled sincerely and she nodded. "What can I do for you, agent Bristow?"

She smiled sincerely back at him, enjoying to hear the name Bristow connected with her. What was equally enjoyable was hearing him referring to her as an agent. She knew that everyone at APO had accepted her and liked her, which was, what was most important to her. But she had to admit that the more people who would acknowledge her as an agent with the CIA and with the name Bristow, the happier she was, and she felt more accepted.

"I was wondering if there's anyone locked up in the cells?"

"No, we don't have anyone locked up."

"Then would it be possible for me to see my old cell?" He stared at her, completely surprised by her request. She laughed a little. "Yeah, I know it's probably a strange thing to ask, but it would just be a kind of closure for me. I'm not looking to get you into trouble or anything." He let out a small laugh.

"I hardly think, I can get in trouble for showing an agent the cells." She smiled broader at again hearing herself being referred to as an agent. "Sure, I'll take you to your old cell." They walked off towards the cells. Irina had a chill running through her when she heard the gates open. Although her time here had been nothing like Kashmir, she still had some bad memories from her time here. The guard opened the door to her cell. "Take all the time you need. Just close the door when you leave, and I'll close down the gates, when you come back to my desk." She smiled at him sincerely.

"Thank you." He nodded and left.

She walked around her old cell, and sat down on her old bunk for a while. She then walked around again a few minutes later. She stood with her back to the door lost in thought, and didn't hear that someone had walked down the hall, and was now standing outside the cell.

"You know some people say that marriage is like prison. If you'd like to get a doze of reality, I'm sure we can arrange for you to spend the last couple of nights before your wedding in this cell." She was a bit startled and turned around and found Kendall with a huge grin on his face. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you for the offer but I'll pass. As I'm sure you remember, I've already spent quite a lot of time in here, and I have no intention on spending more time here." She smiled more fondly. "And as for marriage being like a prison, I feel the exact opposite. I'm never felt freer than when I'm married and with my husband. The first years of my married life with Jack were amazing. However, the years we spent apart, were like being in prison. I was in a sense tied down, and couldn't be honest about my feelings for him. I wasn't free to talk about that. But now we're together again, getting married, and I can tell the world how I feel about him, and I couldn't be happier." He smiled at her and nodded his understanding. "So what are you doing down here?"

"I saw one of the agents that you'd worked with, working on something else, so I figured you were done. I asked him where you were, but he didn't know. I then looked around and the guard at the desk told me you were here. So I just came to check on you, to see if you were alright. Are you okay?" She smiled warmly at him.

"Yes, thank you. I'm fine. I just wanted to see the old place, to get some closure." He nodded. "Have you heard anything on whether or not Katya has accepted the pardon?" He shook his head.

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry." She nodded and they both looked as they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Seconds later Jack stood next to Kendall. He looked at the two of them curiously.

"What's going on?" Kendall put his hands up in defense.

"Now Jack, before you start jumping to conclusion or accusing me of anything, let me just say that I had nothing to do with Irina being down here. I finished my work, and noticed that she'd finished with hers, so I came looking for her. When I found out that she was down here, I just wanted to make sure she was alright." Jack gave Kendall a small smile.

"I'm not jumping to conclusion or accusing you of anything. I was just curious as to why you were down here."

"Oh. Sorry." He looked at Jack and Irina a little apologetically. "I'll just leave the two of you alone." He walked away, and when he was completely gone, Irina shook her head at Jack.

"You did think, he had something to do with me being here." He gave her a look that told her she was right. She laughed. "Jack, the man has change. You know that by now." He smiled a little apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm just very protective of you." She smiled lovingly at him and he returned the smiled and spoke softer. "Are you alright?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I just wanted to see my old cell to get some closure, and to know that I can walk out of here without being in chains, having guns pointed at me, and knowing that I won't be returning." He nodded his understanding.

"So, have you gotten closure?"

"Yes. My time here wasn't that bad. I did have some nice moments, like strategizing with you and having more pleasant visits from you and Sydney. But then there was the first time I saw Sydney here and what she said to me. And then there was seeing you for the first time in more than twenty years. I'll never forget the look on your face. It was nothing like I remembered you." She got a bit emotional. "Jack, I'm so sorry for what I did to you that made you turn so cold and distant. I didn't mean the things I said to you in the beginning. Our marriage was not an illusion, it was real. I just had to say that. I had to be cold and play my games, so that I could carry out my plan." He walked into the cell and hugged her tightly.

"You don't need to apologize anymore. We've been over this so many times, and I've forgiven you remember? I know that our marriage and your feelings were real."

"Yeah, I know. But I just still can't help feel the way I feel. You looked like you wanted to strangle me that first time, and I know that a part of you wanted to." He took her face in her hands looking at her, and spoke honestly.

"Yes, I did. But I also wanted to take you in my arms, hug you, and kiss you. I thought that if I kissed you, I would know if you'd ever truly loved me or not." She looked at him a little surprised and then smiled sincerely.

"If you had, I would have told you everything." Now it was his turn to look at her surprised. "I had to pull out all my strength to be cold. All I wanted was to have your arms around me, but I was able to pull it off, because you were so cold too. But had you kissed me, I would've told you the truth." They smiled at each other, shaking their heads a little.

"I guess in some ways it was a good thing, I didn't kiss you. I know that maybe Sydney would never have disappeared, but who's to say I would've believed you. You might still be in this cell, Rambaldi would still exist, and the triplets wouldn't." She smiled lovingly at him.

"Then in some ways it's good you never kissed me. Though, I must admit I really wanted you to, when I saw you. I imagined how it would be." He saw the desire in her eyes, and thought he'd play along.

"Oh really? Was it something like this?" He gave her a chaste kiss, barely touching her lips, and then grinned at her. She shook her head amused.

"No, try again." He gave her another chaste kiss, this time touching her lips a little more. He grinned and she rolled her eyes at him. "No, try again." This time he pressed his lips to hers, but without putting much into it. He grinned again, but now she gave him an un-amused glare. He tried again, this time opening his mouth a little, but pulled away when she was about to give him more access.

"How was that? Better?" He grinned at her, while she gave him an annoyed look.

"No. This is how I wanted you to kiss me." She grabbed a hold of his jacket, and crashed her lips onto his, kissing him passionately and deeply. They backed up against the glass wall, and she pinned him against the wall, while they continued kissing. After a few moments they both needed air. They smiled at each other.

"Okay, let me try." Jack grabbed a hold of Irina's jacket, pulling her to him, turned them around pinning her to the wall, and kissed her the same way. After a few moments they needed air again.

"You're a fast learner." The grinned and kissed the same way again. Jack let go of her jacket, and instead ran his hands up along her sides. She put her hands on his back, running them up and down, with one running through his hair, and another squeezing his butt at one time. A few moments later they needed air again. "You know one of the things that got me through the nights, was imagining making love to you. I thought about all the times we did it, in the beginning of our marriage, but this cell made me fantasize. I thought about you taking me up against this glass wall." Jack smiled at her.

"I had that fantasy too." She was surprised to hear that, but then smiled at him, and kissed him passionately again. "The glass is kind of cold, so I guess in some ways, it would be like making love against the fridge." She laughed.

"I think you're right. Speaking of the fridge. That was fun. When can we do that again?" They looked at each other hungrily.

"I don't know. The wedding is only a few days away, so I think we'll have to wait until after the honeymoon. The last time we were lucky that we got home from work earlier than expected, and knew for a fact that we had a couple of hours before anyone else got home. I doubt we'll be so lucky during the next couple of days. But I promise, we'll get lucky plenty." She licked her lips at the sound of that, and they kissed passionately for a few minutes more.

Five minutes later they walked out as if nothing had happened. However they noticed that everyone was looking at them a little strange. Everyone had looked a little strange when they arrived, because this was the first time Irina was there as a CIA agent, and not as an enemy. But this was a different kind of strange. They saw Kendall who looked at them amused.

"Why is everyone looking at us so strangely?" He shook his head at them.

"Just because there's no one in the cells, doesn't mean that the security cameras aren't on." Jack and Irina stared wide eyed at Kendall. Jack got embarrassed while Irina grinned a little. They looked around at everyone, who all immediately looked away, but who all tried to hide a grin. "Yeah, I don't think your death glares will help so much in the future with this bunch." That made Irina grin a little more, while Jack closed his eyes shut. Kendall grinned too. "Come on. I think we better get out of here."

* * *

The day before the wedding Jack, Irina, and the triplets were in the living room, when they heard Sydney and Nadia walk through the front door.

"It's time."

The triplets got off the couch quickly leaving Jack and Irina to look at each other puzzled. Deciding to see what was up, they got off the couch too, and headed for the hall.

"Hi girls. It's time for what?"

"For you to leave, mom. Go upstairs and pack whatever you think you might need for the night, and then let's go." Jack and Irina both looked curiously at their oldest daughters.

"Excuse me?"

"It's tradition. The bride and groom aren't allowed to see each other, a certain amount of time before the wedding. We're here to pick you up. You'll be spending the night with Nadia, Maddie, Caitie, Carrie, Rachel, and me at my place. We'll take you to the inn tomorrow, while the boys will take dad and Ethan. You two are not allowed to see each other until the ceremony. Now let's go." Sydney grabbed her mother by her one arm, and was about to take her upstairs, when Jack quickly grabbed her other arm holding her back.

"Your mother's not going anywhere. She's staying her." Sydney tried pulling her mother to her.

"No, dad, she's coming with us."

"Well, I say she's not." They were pulling Irina from side to side.

"What about me? Do I get a say in this, or are you just going to pull me from side to side, until I break into two?"

"You heard your mother, let her go." Irina shook her head at Jack.

"Jack. That's not what I said. Now would you just let me go, both of you?" Jack and Sydney looked at each other, and let go of Irina at the same time. "Thank you." Sydney looked at her mother.

"Mom, we'll pack a few things for you. Everything you need for the wedding is at the inn already, so you'll really only need something to sleep in tonight, and something to wear to the inn tomorrow. So why don't you just say goodbye to dad, because you won't be seeing him until tomorrow. We'll pack something for Maddie and Caitie. They can help us."

"Can I help too?" Nadia smiled at her brother.

"Yes, you most certainly can." He smiled and the triplets headed upstairs. "You wanted to renew your vows, so you have to deal with everything a wedding includes. You had your parties, and this is another tradition. Now say your goodbyes, because we're leaving soon." Sydney and Nadia headed upstairs, and left Jack looking at them annoyed, while Irina was amused. She put her arms around Jack's neck.

"It is tradition, Jack."

"I don't care about tradition. I don't want to be without you. I can't sleep properly without you next to me, and neither can you when I'm not next to you." She smiled lovingly at him, and gave him a soft kiss.

"I know, sweetheart. Believe me I'd rather spend the night with you. But the girls really want to make this special for us. I know you might not think of it as special, but they're being sweet. Let's just humor them. We'll only be away from each other for one night, and then we have the rest of our lives, where we're together every single night. Not to mention, we get a whole week with no interruptions, when we're on our honeymoon." She kissed him again, and the kiss deepened.

"I still don't like it, but I have a feeling I won't have any choice. But just how much time do we have?" He looked at her hungrily, and she knew what he meant. She laughed shaking her head.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we have time for that." He looked disappointed and she shook her head again laughing. "I'm going to miss you too, tonight." She stroked his cheek with her hand and then kissed him passionately and deeply. They were still kissing when the others came back down.

"Okay, all set. We're leaving." Jack groaned and reluctantly let go of Irina. Jack went over to say goodbye to Maddie and Caitie, while Irina said goodbye to Ethan and just checked her bag.

"Daddy, I put Fluffy in your bed, so that you'll have someone to snuggle with, now that you won't have mommy." Jack gave Caitie a big hug and a kiss.

"Thank you, sweetheart." He looked at Sydney and Nadia. "At least one of my daughters understands." They rolled their eyes at him. He gave Maddie a big hug and kiss too, and they ran out to the car. "Ethan, why don't you go outside and join your sisters, and then you and I can wave goodbye to everyone?"

"Okay daddy." Jack waited for Ethan to be out of sight. He then grabbed Irina, kissing her passionately and deeply, pinning her against the open front door, running his hands allover her body, right in front of Sydney and Nadia. They gaped at him, groaned and shut their eyes. Jack would not normally have done that in front of them, but he thought he would do it now, since they were taking Irina away from him. When they broke the kiss, they were completely out of breath. She grinned at him, shaking her head. "I just wanted you to remember my strong hands and amazing tongue." Sydney and Nadia groaned even more by hearing that, and headed for the car.

"And you wanted to make our daughters uncomfortable." He laughed.

"Yeah that too." She smiled at him and then took his face in her hands and gave him one last lingering kiss.

"Bye, Mr. Bristow."

"Bye, Mrs. Bristow." They walked out to the car hand in hand. Irina gave Ethan one last kiss and hug, and Jack one final kiss, before she got in the car. Jack and Ethan waved goodbye until they couldn't see the car anymore. Jack picked up his son. "Well, it seems it's just you and me, buddy. How about you get to decide everything for the rest of the day? Anything you want to do, we'll do."

"Really, daddy?" Ethan was excited about that.

"Absolutely. Everything is your choice. So, what do you want to do?"

"There's a three hour Tom and Jerry marathon starting in a few minutes. Could we watch that?" He smiled broadly at his son.

"It's your choice, so cartoons it is." They walked back inside house smiling.

* * *

About an hour later the doorbell rang and Jack went out to see who it was. He looked surprised when he saw Sergei, Vaughn, Eric, Marcus, Marshall, Mitchell, Kendall, and Will standing there.

"Hi Jack." They were about to step into the house, when Jack put up his arm preventing them.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Sydney and Nadia sent us. They're having a girl's night. As you know Carrie and Rachel are there too. Sydney and Nadia then thought that all us guys should keep you and Ethan company. They decided that they'd all drive to the inn together tomorrow, and thought that we guys should do the same. Which means, we're all staying here tonight."

"You're what?" Jack couldn't quite believe what Eric was telling him.

"Look, it was Sydney and Nadia's idea. They said that if we all slept here, it would be sort of bonding"

"Bonding?"

"Their word, not ours. Look, just humor them, and we'll all be happy."

"I already humored them, when I let them take my wife." He looked at Sergei, who gave him a grin. Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine, since you're all here anyway." He let them all into the hall.

"Great. We brought some beers and cards and other stuff. We'll have a great time."

"I'm sure we will, because I've let my son be in charge of the day. I didn't expect you, so I told him we'd do anything he wants to do. I have no intention on going back on my word." They all nodded.

"Okay that's fine. So, what's on the agenda?"

"We'll be watching a Tom and Jerry marathon for the next two hours." He smirked at them. They all nodded, most of them not feeling too excited. Marshall on the other hand was.

"Can I just say that's awesome? I love Tom and Jerry. Come on Mitch." They all stared at Marshall as he left with his son, being more excited about the cartoon than Mitchell. They all laughed a little. Jack looked at the others for their reaction.

"Yeah. Tom and Jerry. Awesome." Eric gave two thumbs up. He wasn't too excited about the cartoons, but wasn't upset. Vaughn smiled a little and nodded.

"I used to watch cartoons with the triplets all the time. I don't mind one bit." Sergei smiled sincerely.

"I used to watch cartoons with Stephen and Robin all the time too. It'll be fun watching cartoons again."

"Where are your children?"

"Staying overnight with friends. I'm picking them up tomorrow on my way to the inn." Jack nodded smiling, and then turned to Kendall.

"I've watched a little with my nephews. Tom and Jerry are funny." Kendall smiled, looking a little forward to watching cartoons.

"How do you feel about the cartoons, Will?" Will gave, Jack a smile.

"Hey, I'm just really happy to be part of your wedding. I'll gladly watch cartoons." He gave Will a nod.

"Good. Then let's go." The all walked into the living room, finding Ethan, Marshall, and Mitchell laughing their heads off. Jack sat down next to his son. "It seems that your sisters Sydney and Nadia, have sent the boys over to hang out with us. I hope that's alright?"

"Of course, daddy. Does that mean no more cartoons?" Jack smiled at his son, giving him a kiss.

"No, it doesn't. I told you that you were in charge of the day, and that's not going to change. We'll do anything you want to do." Ethan smiled at his father, giving him a hug, and for the next two hours the guys watched cartoons.

A couple of hours later Jack walked out to the kitchen and picked up the phone. There was no signal, and he couldn't understand why. Just then Vaughn walked out.

"There's no point in trying to call Irina. We've unplugged all the phones, and took your cell phone. No one will be answering the phone at our place, and I'm sure Sydney and Nadia took away Irina's phone. So even if you plug in the phones, there'll be no point in trying to call Irina." Jack glared at Vaughn. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just following orders. Your daughters said there could be absolutely no communication between you and Irina. You might be scary, Jack, but you've passed that quality on to your daughters." A small proud smile escaped Jack's lips. Vaughn smiled back. "Look, if you occupy your time with something else, the time will pass faster. And before you know it, you'll see Irina again." Jack gave Vaughn a small smile.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute." Vaughn nodded and left as Kendall entered the kitchen.

"Eric said something about beer?"

"I believe they put them in the fridge. Help yourself."

"Thank you." Kendall opened the fridge and took out some. "You want one?" Jack nodded, and Kendall got out a few more. "You seem a bit down. What's wrong?" Jack looked at Kendall a little oddly, which he didn't see, since he had his face in the fridge now.

"Uh, nothing really. I'm not allowed to use the phone to call Irina."

"I'd let you use my, except it's at home."

"You left your cell phone at home?" Jack gave Kendall a puzzled look.

"Yeah. I like to be off work sometimes. I know that I should probably be accessible all day and night, in case there's something urgent, with the job that I have. But I just don't think anything major will happen that needs my immediate attention, since your wedding is tomorrow, and we have the backup at APO that we need, so that we can all attend the wedding." Jack smiled.

"You've got a point. Thanks for the offer, but I could just plug the phones in again, except it won't do any good. Sydney and Nadia won't be answering their phones, and they've no doubt taken Irina's cell phone, or not brought it with them."

"Well, then there's not really much you could do anyway. You just have to find some way to pass the time." Jack nodded. "You've got adorable children by the way. I know I haven't met Maddie and Caitie yet, but Ethan is quite adorable, and on the pictures your daughters seem adorable too. And Ethan's very sweet and polite." Jack smiled proudly.

"It's kind of you to say, but I haven't really had much part in their upbringing so far. Neither has Irina. I think most of the praise goes to Sergei."

"They still got your genes Jack. Irina's too." Kendall smiled sincerely at Jack, and Jack returned the smile and was surprised too, by Kendall's comment. Kendall saw that and let out a small laugh. "Come on. Let's join the others." They grabbed the beer and headed off to join the others.

They ended up having a pleasant day and evening. Ethan hadn't had many plans for the evening, but he and Mitchell stayed up for as long as they wanted, though Mitchell had fallen asleep earlier, and was put in one of the guest rooms. It was now late and everyone decided it was time to turn in.

"Daddy?" Jack picked up his son.

"Yes."

"Can we all have a snuggle party?" Jack looked at his son surprised and a little horrified. Everyone else was a little skeptical of what that meant.

"What do you mean?"

"I just thought it would be fun, if we all snuggled together in one bed. Can we do that please?"

Jack stared a little wide eyed at his son, and everyone else did the same. Ethan got a little sad with the expression in his father's eyes, which Jack instantly noticed. He had no desire to get into the same bed with any of the guys, but he also didn't want to disappoint his son. And he had promised that they'd do anything Ethan wanted.

"Sure. We'll have a snuggle party." He looked around at everyone, giving them a glare telling them to go along with the idea. Everyone stared a little wide eyed. "We'll have a snuggle party, won't we, guys?" The tone in Jack's voice gave just enough away, to let them know he meant business, but not so that Ethan would think that they were being pressured. They could only nod. Ethan smile grew wide.

"Thank you, daddy." Ethan gave his father a kiss on the cheek.

"Let's get ready for bed." He turned around to look at everyone else. "We'll use the guestroom at the end of the hall next to the triplets' room." Sergei nodded, knowing which room Jack was referring to. Jack had no intention of sleeping with all the guys in the same bed that he and Irina slept in.

Everyone stared wide eyed at each other. No one wanted to snuggle next to each other, but they also didn't want to disappoint Ethan, knowing that the first few years of his life hadn't been easy, since he hadn't had his parents around much. They too got ready for bed. Vaughn and Eric brushed their teeth at the same time.

"I love Ethan, and would do practically anything for him. But this is a little extreme. I don't want to snuggle with anyone. You're the only one I'd sleep that close to." Vaughn looked a little horrified at Eric.

"What's that supposed to mean? You better keep you hands to yourself, Weiss, and keep them over the covers." Eric couldn't resist teasing Vaughn.

"Oh come on, Vaughn. We're friends." He put an arm around Vaughn. "Come on. Give me a little sugar." Eric motioned for Vaughn to give him a kiss on his cheek, but Vaughn got out of Eric's embrace.

"Get off of me, man." Eric laughed, and Vaughn shook his head at him. "Seriously. Keep your hands to yourself." Vaughn left the bathroom and Eric laughed. Eric shook his head.

"Gosh, I wish I was Mitchell right now."

They all got under the covers, adjusting themselves as best as they could. Jack was sleeping with his head up at the headboard. He had Ethan snuggled close to his chest, on the edge of the bed. Sergei was on Jack's other side. He had Marshall next to him, and Marshall had Kendall next to him, who slept on the other edge of the bed. Vaughn, Eric, Dixon, and Will were sleeping with their heads at the footboard. They had put some cushions between them, covering their lower parts, so things wouldn't be more awkward than they already were.

Ethan had asked his father to tell him a bedtime story and sing him a song, which Jack did. He wasn't quite thrilled with the singing part with everyone else there, but he again didn't want to disappoint his son. As soon as he'd finished they all heard that Marshall was snoring a little. Jack rolled his eyes as he was sure everyone else was doing. They others tried to go to sleep, which proved successfully for most of them, even though they were not sleeping comfortably.

Three hours passed and Jack was still awake. Ethan had been awake for a little while, without Jack realizing it.

"Daddy?" Jack was a little surprised when he heard Ethan whisper.

"Yes, sweetheart."

"You can't sleep?" Jack kissed his son's head.

"No, not really."

"We can go and sleep in your bed if you want? You need a good night's sleep." Jack was relieved to hear his son say that.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, daddy."

"Okay. Let's do that. But we have to be quiet, so that we won't wake the others."

"Okay."

Jack got Ethan out of bed as quietly as he could, and then got out himself without making too much movement. He was successful as no one woke up. He picked up his son and they walked off to Jack's bedroom. When they were under the covers there, they snuggled closer together. Jack had turned on a small lamp by the bed and looked at his son one last time before turning it off.

"Are you sure, you're okay with us sleeping in here? I know you wanted a snuggle party." Ethan grinned.

"I never wanted a snuggle party, daddy." Jack looked dumbfounded at his son. "You said we could do anything I wanted, so I just wanted to see if you would agree to a snuggle party." Ethan started to laugh more, and Jack started to laugh too, when he realized he'd been played by a three-year-old.

"Oh, I'll give you something to laugh about." He started to tickle his son mercifully, and continued to do that for several minutes. When he stopped and the laughter had died down, he turned off the light, and kissed his son. "Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodnight daddy."

It didn't take long for Ethan to fall asleep but Jack was still wide awake. He tried to fall asleep, but it didn't do him any good. He got out of bed some time later without waking Ethan and headed downstairs. He walked around the house looking at pictures of him and Irina, and with the children. When he got to the mantle he stopped to look at the picture there. It was the picture taken at their seventh wedding anniversary at the cave on the beach. The picture that had played a big part in him and Irina getting back together. He picked it up and smiled, already thinking that they could go to the cave next year to celebrate their anniversary. He looked at it for a while longer, and then proceeded to walk around looking at other pictures, before heading to the kitchen.

He noticed the lights were on and saw Dixon drinking a glass of orange juice. Dixon looked at Jack when he noticed him and smiled.

"Hi Jack. Couldn't sleep?" Jack smiled back.

"No, not really." He got a glass and poured himself some orange juice, and sat opposite of Dixon.

"So, where are you and Ethan sleeping? I noticed you weren't in bed when I got up."

"Ethan noticed I couldn't sleep, and thought I'd sleep better in my own bed." Dixon nodded. Jack laughed a little. "About the snuggle party. Ethan never wanted that. But since I'd told him we could do anything he wanted, he wanted to see if he could get me to agree to a snuggle party." Dixon stared a little at Jack but then laughed.

"He sure got the Derevko genes." They both laughed more at that.

They talked for a little while longer before heading back to bed. When they were just about to leave the kitchen Jack turned to Dixon.

"You don't have to go back and sleep with them. I'll take you to one of the other guestrooms."

"Thanks Jack. I had thought of just sleeping on the couch. But that was before you got here. A bed without anyone else in it, is definitely better." He nodded and they headed upstairs.

They walked past the room the others were sleeping in. Dixon had left the door a little open, and they heard Marshall call out 'Carrie' a little. Jack and Dixon stuck their heads in, and saw that Marshall put an arm around Kendall, and that Kendall snuggled closer to Marshall. Jack and Dixon turned to each other, closed the door quickly, and got far away from the door. When they were sure the others couldn't hear them, they broke out laughing. They shook their heads at the image.

"How on earth am I supposed to get any sleep now, with that image in my head?" They laughed a little more, before Jack showed Dixon the guestroom. They said their goodnights, and Jack walked back to his own bedroom.

He stood by the edge of the bed looking down on his sleeping son, and then picked up Fluffy. He looked at the teddy bear. This had also played apart in getting him and Irina back together. If he hadn't checked in on the triplets, and if Caitie hadn't needed her bear, he would never have gone to Irina's room to get it, and would never have seen the picture. He would like to think that regardless of these events, he and Irina would still have gotten back together some day. But he was also certain that the events had only helped speed things along, which led them to renewing their vows. He looked at the bear one last time and got back under the covers. Ethan snuggled closer to his father in his sleep. With his son on one side, and the bear on the other, Jack closed his eyes to see if he would be able to get a couple of hours of sleep. If he could pass the time with sleep, then he would be occupied, and it wouldn't be long before he saw Irina again.

**TBC**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

In the morning Jack woke up, not having slept much. He gently got out of bed, so he wouldn't wake up Ethan. As he walked down the hall, he noticed Dixon coming out of his room. Jack walked to him and they met outside the room the others were sleeping in.

"Morning, Jack."

"Morning, Marcus."

"How did you sleep?"

"Not all that well. I slept a little, but not as much as I would have liked."

"I take it you're missing Irina badly?" Jack looked at Dixon surprised, who smiled at Jack. "Come on, Jack. Everyone knows how you two feel about each other. It's written allover your faces, and your body language speaks volumes of how much you love each other." Jack smiled and nodded. "I also know the feeling myself. I was never able to sleep that well when I was away from Diane." Jack gave Dixon a small compassionate smile.

"And now? How do you sleep now?"

"I sleep alright. And whenever I have trouble sleeping, I think about Diana. I've moved on with my life, and am in a new relationship. But Diane will always be the love of my life, no matter what. I'll always be thinking about her." Jack nodded his understanding. Dixon also knew there was more to the nod than just understanding. He knew that the conversation would stay between him and Jack, without having to ask that of him.

"How did you sleep tonight? Was sleeping in a bed of your own better than the snuggle party?" They both laughed a little.

"Most definitely."

"Glad to hear it. We should probably wake the others." Dixon nodded. They opened the door and saw that Kendall and Marshall were snuggled even closer together. Sergei had spread out across the space where Jack had slept, and Will had done the same in the spot where Dixon had slept. Eric was using Vaughn's chest as a pillow, and Vaughn had his hand on Eric's head, snuggling close with him. Jack and Dixon closed the door for a moment, so that they could laugh out in the hall. "It's even worse than last night." Dixon nodded and they laughed some more. "We should probably wake them now." Jack was about to open the door again, but was stopped by Dixon's hand on his shoulder. Jack looked at Dixon curiously.

"I think we should get our cameras first. Vaughn and Eric are always teasing you, and making remarks. Taking pictures of them like this, will give you something on them." Jack let out a small laugh, and he and Dixon went off to get their cameras.

They came back and took several pictures without any of them waking up. They then put the cameras back in their rooms, so that they wouldn't get caught with them. When they got back they took one last look at them shaking their heads in amusement.

"Rise and shine." Jack spoke loud so that they'd wake up. Marshall was about to give Kendall a kiss still half asleep, thinking it was Carrie he was snuggling with. Kendall opened his eyes, and saw Marshall's lips coming at him.

"Marshall stop." Kendall yelled and gave Marshall a push, pushing him out of his embrace. Marshall looked like a deer caught in the headlights, when he noticed he had almost kissed Kendall. Kendall's yelling woke up the others fully, and when Vaughn and Eric noticed each other they quickly removed themselves from each other.

"Weiss, I told you to keep your hands to yourself."

"You're the one, who had your hand on my head. For all I know, you're the one who wanted me in your sleep." Jack and Dixon laughed at the situation, and Sergei also started to laugh a little after a few seconds. Will was relieved that he hadn't been sleeping that close with anyone, and Marshall finally came to, looking at Kendall apologetically.

"Sorry. I thought you were Carrie." Kendall gave him a nod and got out of bed quickly. Jack looked around at everyone.

"Why don't you just throw on some clothes or stay as you are, and we can all make breakfast. We can let Ethan and Mitchell sleep, since they'll be staying up late tonight anyway." They all nodded and Jack and Dixon left the room first. When they were on the way down the stairs Dixon turned to Jack.

"I think we put the cameras away too early." They laughed the rest of the way to the kitchen.

* * *

At Sydney's place she and Nadia got up and checked in on their mother. She wasn't in her bed. Only Maddie and Caitie were sleeping there. They headed for the kitchen and found her sitting in the living room, looking at pictures of their father.

"Morning, mom." They sat down, one next to her and the other opposite of her.

"Good morning." She looked at them giving them a half smile.

"How did you sleep?"

"Horrible." They looked at her curiously, and she smiled more. "I miss your father. I never sleep well, when he's not by my side." They smiled at their mother.

"That's sweet, mom."

"I should never have let you take me away from him." Irina whined slightly and Sydney and Nadia rolled their eyes at her.

"Mom, it was one night. I'm sure you can be without him for one night."

"No. Your father gives me comfort, stability, and safety, and I don't want to be without that." She leaned back in the couch, smiling at the thought of Jack. "I really want your father." Sydney and Nadia grimaced and Irina noticed that. She rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. Well, of course I want your father like that."

"Mom, stop. We don't want to hear about it."

"We're all grown women. We should be able to talk about things like that."

"Oh no, mom, we shouldn't. You and dad are our parents. No child wants to think about their parents that way."

"Sydney, you have a child of your own. I think you're a little too old to believe that the stork brought you to your father and me."

"I know the stork didn't bring me, but neither Nadia nor I wish to know about you and dad that way."

"Your father and I are adults. It's perfectly normal for us to be sexually active." Sydney and Nadia groaned.

"Syd, please make mom stop."

"Mom, we beg of you to stop." Sydney shook her head. "What you and dad have, is not normal."

"What makes you say that?"

"We've seen you together, and have had it indicated several times. At your age that's not normal."

"At our age?" Irina stared a little wide eyed at Sydney and then laughed. "We might be grandparents, but that doesn't make us old. Believe me your father is just as good and functional as when he was younger. In fact he's better now. It's all about finding new positions, and other ways of pleasing each other, combined with the regular stuff. However, the regular stuff, was never boring and still isn't. We're exploring each others bodies, just as much as we've always done, and the desire and lust for each other, are as strong as ever. Stronger even." Sydney's eyes were almost falling out of her head.

"Mom, I don't want to hear about your positions or how you and dad please each other."

"I never mentioned any specific positions or how we please each other. But if you have questions, feel free to ask."

"No, mom. I said I didn't want to hear about that."

"I'm sorry you feel the way you feel, but your father and I have been apart for so many years. With that much time apart from each other, it's only normal that we have such a strong sexual appetite for each other. Though, I'm pretty sure if we'd been together all these years, our sexual appetite for each other would still be as strong as it is today."

"Mom, stop using sexual appetite when you're referring to you and dad."

"What would you like me to say?"

"I don't know, but not that."

"Then how about saying that your father and I have a horny lusty hunger for each other?"

"No, no, no. Just stop talking about this."

"Syd, Syd, Syd." Nadia was shaking her head, had her eyes closed and were covering her ears with her hands, even though that had done her no good. Nadia opened her eyes, and Sydney looked at her curiously. "You do realize, you started this whole thing. You told mom to stop, and then you went on to say that she and dad weren't normal. Mom was baiting you after that and you fell for it, and made me suffer." Sydney gaped and then looked at her mother, who had a hard time controlling her laughter.

"Your sister's right. Though, I really didn't mind talking about the sexual appetite your father and I have for each other, or whatever you'd prefer to call it." Sydney gave her mother a glare, and then picked up a cushion and threw it at her mother. Irina threw it back at Sydney. Nadia joined in and soon the three of them were having a cushion fight.

* * *

At both places they all eventually had breakfast, relaxed, and showered. At the end of the morning they all drove to the inn. Kendall hadn't brought his things with him, so he went home to change and to pick up his overnight bag, since everyone would be staying the night at the inn. He said he'd arrive at the inn in time for the wedding. Dixon drove home to pick up his children, and to pick up their overnight bags. The girls had arrived at the inn before the guys, and they'd met with the staff and band to check that everything was as it should be. When that was all taken care of they went to the cottage.

When the guys arrived they too went around to check on things. When that was done, Jack saw that Sydney and Nadia were coming out of the cottage and he went to them. They greeted their father with a hug and a kiss, and Sydney gave Vaughn a kiss, and Nadia gave Eric a kiss.

"Ethan's clothes are with ours, so we thought he could change with us, and we can bring him over later, so that he can hang out with you guys until the ceremony." Jack nodded.

"Sure. I'll take him." Sydney and Nadia stopped their father before he had a chance to move.

"Nice try, dad, but you don't get to see mom before the ceremony."

"I should be able to take my own son to his mother, and be allowed to see my other daughters."

"We will gladly bring Maddie and Caitie out here, but you don't get to see mom." Jack gave them an annoyed look. They just smirked at him.

"Sorry, dad, but that's the way it is. Now would you like to see Maddie and Caitie?"

"Of course."

"Good, then we'll bring them out here, and we'll take Ethan with us now." Nadia held her hand out to Ethan, and then looked at Eric, Vaughn, Sergei, Marshall, and Will. "Don't let him get anywhere near the cottage." Jack rolled his eyes at his daughters as they left. Sergei put a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I think you better do as they say." Jack nodded reluctantly and Sergei grinned. "Don't worry it won't be long until you see her."

A few seconds later Maddie and Caitie came running out towards their father. He held his arms out to them and hugged them tightly, spending a few minutes with them, before letting them go back inside the cottage. After that the guys walked off to get a little something to eat before starting to get ready.

Marshall and Mitchell got ready in the room Marshall and Carrie would be spending the night in, and a few seconds later Carrie joined them with Isabelle, who she had promised to look after while Sydney got ready, and sit with her during the ceremony.

Will got changed in the room he would be spending the night in. He finished rather early and walked out in the hall just as Rachel came out of her room. They smiled at each other.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"You look very nice. Very beautiful." Rachel blushed a little at Will's compliment.

"Thank you. You look quite nice yourself." Will just shrugged and they laughed a little.

"So, you're dressed rather quickly. I thought women always took their time."

"Sometimes we do." They laughed a little again. "But, I like to make good time. Besides, the weather is great and it's a beautiful place, so I thought I'd walk around until the wedding."

"Would you like some company?" She smiled at him.

"I'd love to." He smiled back and they headed outside.

Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, and Isabelle also got out of their room rather early dressed for the wedding. Dixon came down the hall as they got out of their room.

"Hi Marcus. Where are the kids?"

"Outside. They're already dressed, so there's no point in them coming inside. If you're going outside, could you keep an eye on them? I know they're not exactly that small anymore, but could you just be on the lookout?"

"Absolutely."

"Thanks." He gave them a nod and a smile, and headed for the room Jack was in, while Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, and Isabelle headed outside. When they got outside they noticed that Devlin had arrived and walked over to greet him.

"Hello sir. Nice to see you again." He smiled at them and shook their hands.

"Marshall, Carrie, Mitchell, Isabelle." Marshall's face lit up when he noticed that Devlin knew his son's name. "But please, call me Ben for the day. It's such a happy occasion we're here for, and we're out of the office." They both nodded. Carrie noticed Stephen and Robin, and saw that they looked a little out of place.

"If you two will excuse me, I think I'll go and talk to Marcus' kids. They seem a bit lonely." Marshall and Devlin nodded and Carrie looked at Mitchell. "Sweetie, do you want to come with me, or stay here with daddy?"

"With you." She nodded and took him by the hand. Marshall and Devlin looked at each other.

"Beautiful day for a wedding."

"Yes, it certainly is. September is a lovely month."

"Beautiful place to have a wedding too."

"Yes, it's amazing. I didn't know that Jack was much of an ocean man."

"Neither did I. But then again, I don't really know him that well. Well, I know him, but I don't think we're really buddy, buddy, if you know what I mean." Devlin was just about to say something, but Marshall continued rambling. "Of course I've spent time a lot of time with him, and I call him by his first name now, even at work, but we haven't done a lot of real male bonding. Though, I don't really know what we'd do, if we were to do some male bonding." Marshall kept on rambling about Jack and about other things, whenever he said a word that would lead the conversation in a different direction.

A while later Marshall was still rambling, when Devlin spotted Kendall. Kendall was about to walk over to Carrie to say hi, but didn't get the chance.

"Jim, over here." Devlin stuck his hand up in the air, and waved Kendall over. Kendall waved at Carrie, Mitchell, Isabelle, Stephen, and Robin, and then walked over to join Marshall and Devlin.

"Hi, Ben. Hi, Marshall."

"Hi Jim." Kendall looked at Marshall oddly, not being used to him calling him by his first name. Marshall saw the look in Kendall's eyes, and got a little nervous. "Um, I mean Kendall. Uh, Assistant Director Kendall. I guess you and I aren't really buddy, buddy."

"Buddy, buddy? I don't follow."

"Well, you see…." Marshall started to explain everything he'd been telling Devlin, and Kendall quickly realized just why Devlin had called him over so eagerly. Kendall shot Devlin a look, but Devlin merely smirked in return.

* * *

At the cottage Irina was helping Ethan get ready. When he was done, she looked at him and smiled.

"You look as handsome as your father." Ethan smiled and he went to show his suit to Maddie and Caitie. Irina started pacing a little around the room, and Sydney and Nadia noticed her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Irina didn't really hear them. Sydney and Nadia looked at each other, not believing how their mother was acting.

"Mom, are you nervous about getting married?" Irina finally looked at them, and decided she might as well be honest.

"Yes, I am. Which bride isn't a little nervous on her wedding day?" They laughed a little at their mother.

"First you're nervous about how you did on your final test with the CIA, even though you knew you'd pass. And now you're nervous about getting married. Mom, you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. You've done this before, and it's dad."

"I know, I know. But this is not the same as the first time we got married. I was nervous back then too, but I'm just a little afraid that my emotions will get the better of me, and I'll end of rambling like, like…."

"Marshall?" They all three laughed at Sydney's suggestion, and Irina nodded. Sydney smiled warmly at her mother. "You're right that this is not the same as when you and dad first got married. It's better this time. There are no secrets between you, and you can be honest about your feelings for him, and he knows that it's you, who's really saying those vows. So it doesn't matter if your emotions get the better of you." Irina smiled at Sydney and at Nadia, who was nodding. She walked over at put her arms around her oldest daughters.

"Thank you. What would I do with out the two of you? I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

"Me too, mom. I love you." Irina kissed her daughters on their cheeks as Ethan walked out to join them.

"Can I go see daddy now?" Irina smiled at her son.

"Absolutely. I'll take you." She reached her hand out to Ethan, but Nadia stepped in her way.

"No you don't, mom. You're not allowed to see dad before the ceremony."

"Right, mom. I'll take Ethan." Sydney held her hand out to Ethan, and together they walked off to see their father. Irina gave Nadia a glare.

"Glare all you want, or whine."

"I don't whine."

"You did this morning, when you were missing dad."

"Oh you mean, when we talked about the sexual appetite your father and I have for each other?" Nadia grimaced and Irina smiled a little triumphantly. If she had to suffer being away from Jack, she could make her children suffer too. "I'll just go and get finished." Irina went to the bedroom, laughing a little to herself.

* * *

Sydney walked with Ethan to see their father and they passed Marshall, Kendall, and Devlin on the way. Marshall was still rambling, so Kendall saw the opportunity to get a break from the rambling.

"Hi, Sydney. Where are you two off to?"

"We're off to dad's room. Ethan wants to spend time with dad and the guys before the ceremony."

"Shouldn't you finish getting ready?"

"Yeah, but it won't take long for me to take him to dad's room."

"Well, just so you won't be late, why don't I take him to your father's room? That's of course if Ethan doesn't mind." Sydney looked at Kendall oddly. She'd never figured he'd like being around children. She knew he had nephews that he'd spent some time with, and that he'd certainly changed, but still she never thought he was a children's person.

"Uh, I guess that would be alright." She looked at her brother. "Sweetie, would you mind if Kendall took you to dad's room?"

"No, I don't mind." He reached his hand out to Kendall, and Kendall took it smiling.

"Okay. Thank you. I'll just get back to the cottage then." She smiled at the others, but still couldn't believe Kendall was taking Ethan to their father's room, as she walked back to the cottage. Kendall looked at Ethan.

"Well, I guess we better get you to your dad." Ethan nodded and smiled. As they left Kendall looked over his shoulder and smirked at Devlin. Devlin gave a tiny smile and a nod in return, recognizing that Kendall had just played him, like he played Kendall earlier.

* * *

Jack was sitting in a chair and was fidgeting. Everyone was dressed by now. Jack was wearing a black suit, white shirt, a light gray colored vest and a matching tie, both in smooth, silky fabric. Ethan was wearing the same as his dad, whereas Vaughn and Dixon wore a black suit, white shirt, and a gray tie that was a bit darker than the ones Jack and Ethan wore. They all looked around at Jack, not really believing that the great Jack Bristow was nervous about getting married.

"Jack, you do realize that you have nothing to be nervous about, right?" Jack shot Vaughn a glare.

"I'm not nervous." Vaughn backed away a little from the tone in Jack's voice, and Sergei thought he'd give it a try. He didn't think that Jack would be as hard on him. However, he spoke gentler.

"Jack, it's pretty obvious that you're nervous." Jack glared at Sergei, but realizing he was right and gave his a tiny smile. Vaughn shook his head, at how Jack was willing to accept it from Sergei but not from him.

"Yes, I'm a little nervous. What if Irina says no." Sergei laughed a little.

"Oh come on, Jack. Irina's not going to say no. She loves you and all she's ever wanted is to be married to you. She will marry you." Jack nodded a little, but was obviously still nervous.

"So what if Irina says no?" Everyone looked at Eric. "You two are still married, so it doesn't really matter if she says no, or doesn't even show up." He started laughing, but all he got from Jack was his death glare. Eric rolled his eyes. "Geez, you try to make one little joke to lighten the mood, and you get the death glare." He headed for the table, getting himself a glass of water, still laughing a little. Vaughn walked over to him.

"Weiss, while I'm all for teasing Jack from time to time, and Irina too, you should really try harder to remember that you're dating Jack's daughter." Eric nearly choked on his water. Vaughn smiled and put an arm around Eric. "Yeah. Welcome to hell, buddy." Eric looked at Vaughn shaking his head.

"I will not go through anywhere near what you went through, just because I'm dating his daughter. Jack loves me. He loves me. We get on better than you and he do." Vaughn shook his head laughing.

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, if it helps you feel better." Just then there was a knock on the door."

"Come in." Kendall walked in with Ethan. Jack immediately smiled. Dixon walked over to them and smiled at Ethan.

"Look at you. You look very nice."

"That's because mommy says I'm just as handsome as daddy." They all laughed a little, and Jack smiled even more. Sergei leaned closer to Jack.

"Does that make you feel better?" Jack looked at Sergei, and let out a small laugh, realizing how silly he'd been. He turned his attention back to Ethan.

"Come here, buddy." Ethan walked over to his father and Jack placed him in his lap. Dixon turned to Kendall.

"How come you're bringing him in here?" Kendall let out a small laugh.

"When I arrived, I wanted to say hi to Carrie and the kids, but Devlin called me over before I had a chance to do that. He was talking to Marshall, and I quickly found out that he called me over, because then he wouldn't be alone to listen to Marshall's rambling. Well, when Sydney came walking with Ethan, I saw the opportunity to get away." Dixon laughed. "It's not that I mind Marshall, and I certainly didn't mind bringing Ethan over here, but Marshall's rambling can just be a little too much at times." Dixon nodded.

"You get used to it." They both laughed. "I guess you can hide out here until the ceremony."

"Thank you."

* * *

Some time later Eric's phone rang. The conversation was brief, and when it ended he looked at Jack smiling.

"It's time." Jack nodded. He gave Ethan a kiss and took him by the hand as they all left the room. Jack tried getting away with walking Ethan to the cottage, but Sergei stopped him grinning.

"Nice try, Jack, but I'll take him."

Jack let go of Ethan reluctantly and Eric and Vaughn dragged him along to the place of the ceremony. Dixon took the rings out of his pocket and gave them to Ethan, before walking off with Kendall. Eric gathered everyone else, and now they all stood at the platform overlooking the ocean. Dixon gave Jack a pad on the back as the music started playing.

Ethan walked down first, with Maddie and Caitie following close behind him, throwing down rose petals. Jack stepped forward and gave his son and daughters a kiss on the cheek. Ethan then placed himself in front of Dixon and Vaughn and Maddie and Caitie stood on the opposite side. Next Sydney and Nadia came walking down. Jack walked up to them and also gave them a kiss on the cheek, where after they walked over to their sisters. Jack walked back to his place and looked over at his daughters. Sydney and Nadia were wearing matching dresses in a light purple color. Maddie and Caitie were wearing matching dresses too, in another shade of purple. Eric gave Jack a nudge.

"Look Jack." Jack looked at Eric first, and then in the direction Eric was pointing. His jaw dropped, his breath caught in his throat when he saw Irina walking towards him. Dixon saw him and this time he gave him a nudge.

"Breathe Jack. You don't want to pass out." Jack started to breathe a little as Irina got closer. She was wearing a simple, not nearly white dress, fitting her body perfectly. Eric gave him another nudge.

"This would be a good time to go to her, and lead her here." Jack just nodded slightly, still staring at Irina. He finally composed himself a little better and walked to Irina and Sergei just as they reached the platform. Sergei reached his hand out to Jack.

"She's all yours." Jack shook Sergei's hand and smiled. Sergei then put his other free arm around Jack and gave him a slight hug, which Jack returned before taking Irina's hands in his.

"You look absolutely beautiful. Stunning as always and you're taking my breath away." She smiled lovingly at him.

"Yeah, I could see that. You look dashing. Very handsome."

"So, you would agree that I put a lot of thought into my clothes?" They both laughed, and were the only ones, who understood their little joke. They were about to kiss when Eric cleared his throat.

"You're not allowed to do that until I say you may kiss the bride." Jack shot Eric an annoyed glare, but decided to go along. Instead he gave Irina a kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear.

"I missed you. I couldn't sleep." She whispered back.

"I missed you too, and I couldn't sleep either. I should never have let the girls take me away from you." They laughed again, and then walked up to Eric. He smiled at them and looked around at the others, and indicated that the music should stop. He took a deep breath and started.

"Dear family, dear friends. We're gathered here today, to celebrate a very special union. A very special couple. Someone, who's very well aware of the vow, for better or for worse. Someone, who's been through hell, lies, betrayal, heartache, secrecy. But not even all of that could stand in the way of the love that burns strong and clear between them. It's a love that's stood the test of time, and after more than thirty years is burning stronger than ever. It's a love that no one has ever been able to come between and no one ever will. It's that love we celebrate here today. Jack and Irina have decided to write their own vows, which we will hear now." Eric gestured to Jack to proceed.

Jack stood there for a few seconds just smiling lovingly at Irina. It had been more than thirty years since they'd last said 'I do' to each other. Back then he thought that he was marrying someone else. But looking in her eyes now, he saw the same look that she gave him all those years ago. The love she had for him then, was the same that she had for him now. Jack started to get a little emotional and he had to swallow a few times before he could get started. He started to rub his thumbs in circles across her hands as he was holding them.

"Irina, I've never been so angry with anyone, as with you. I've never been so weak or so strong, as when I've been with you. I've never been so filled with love as when I'm with you. You bring out everything that is in me. You complete me. You're my equal. I can't promise you that we won't have our ups and downs, but I can promise you all my love. We've had our past and now we have our future ahead of us, and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you." Jack had a few tears falling freely from his eyes, and he didn't bother wiping them away. For once he didn't mind letting everyone see how emotional he was. Irina was crying too, but didn't attempt to dry them away either. "Irina, all my love forever and a day. All my heart forever and a day. All my soul forever and a day. All my stubbornness forever and a day. All my moods forever and a day. All my protection forever and a day. All my devotion forever and a day. All my trust forever and a day. All of me forever and a day. Thank you for your love and for being who you are. I'm proud to call myself your husband. I love you, Irina." He picked up her hands and kissed them, and then held them to his heart for a few seconds.

Sydney, Nadia, Sergei, Marshall, Carrie, and Rachel were crying. Marshall was almost the one that cried the most. Vaughn and Dixon had wet eyes a little, whereas Will, Kendall, and Devlin were emotional. Eric was crying too, and could not tell Irina to continue, so he merely gestured it with his hands. She let out a small laugh at that, and then looked at Jack for a few seconds before starting.

"I was taught to hate, to despise, to mistrust, to deceive. But when I met you, I got a different outlook on life. You taught me what kindness was. You taught me what love was. You showed me what love between a man and a woman means, and you taught me to open my heart. I'm alive when I'm with you, and I'm nothing when I'm not. I've spend years dreaming that we would one day be together again, and here we are renewing our vows. You're my dream. You're my world. You're my love. You're my life. You're my weakness. You're my strength. You're the best part of me. You're my Jack." They smiled broadly at each other as the tears kept coming. "You have my undying love, my trust, my heart, my soul, and you have me forever and a day. I will never leave you, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me." She took his hands and held them to her heart. "I am as much your wife now, as I was more than thirty years ago. I love you, Jack. More than I could ever say or express. I love you so much." She picked up his hands and kissed them like he had kissed hers. They stood looking at each other, smiling and enjoying the moment. Eric wiped his tears and gathered himself before he could move on.

"After the personal vows, we'll now move on to the more traditional ones. Jonathan Donahue Bristow, do you take Irina Maria Derevko to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to love her, to cherish her, to her being your one and only, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"

"I do."

"Irina Maria Derevko, do you take Jonathan Donahue Bristow to be you lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to love him, to cherish him, to him being your one and only, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"

"I do." They hadn't taken their eyes off of each other, and everyone was smiling.

"May I have the rings?" Ethan walked up to Eric with the rings, and Jack and Irina took their eyes off of each other and stroked their son on his cheeks as he handed them their rings. He went back to his place and Jack and Irina looked at each other. "Jack, place the ring on Irina's finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Let this ring be a symbol of our love for each other. That I am yours, and you are mine."

"Let this ring be a symbol of our love for each other. That I am yours, and you are mine."

"Forever and a day." Both Jack and Irina looked briefly at Eric and smiled, at the words Eric had used. Jack's famous words. He smiled back at them.

"Forever and a day."

"Irina, place the ring on Jack's finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Let this ring be a symbol of our love for each other. That I am yours, and you are mine."

"Let this ring be a symbol of our love for each other. That I am yours, and you are mine."

"Forever and a day."

"Forever and a day."

"Then by the power invested in me by the Church of Mammals, in front of your family and friends, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Jack you may now kiss your bride." Jack took her hands and placed them behind his neck. He then ran his hands over her arms, until one arm went behind her shoulders, and he placed the other around her waist, pulling her close. They smiled at each other one last time, before they kissed. They kept kissing for a while, and after the kiss they rested their heads against each other for a few seconds, before they hugged each other tightly. "Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bristow." Jack and Irina kissed again and dried the remainder of each others tears, while everyone started to walk up to them to congratulate them.

The children congratulated their parents first, followed by Sergei, Vaughn, and Eric. The guys all gave Irina a kiss on the cheek, even Vaughn, and he smiled warmer at her then he'd ever done before. Jack and Irina thanked Eric for a beautiful ceremony, but he wouldn't take credit for it, and said that it was their vows that made it special. Dixon was the next to congratulate Jack and Irina, and he too, gave Irina a kiss on the cheek, and Jack a hand shake, and gave his shoulder a squeeze. Stephen and Robin shook hands with Jack and Irina, and Irina gave them a hug. Rachel and Will were next. Rachel hugged Irina, but she wasn't quite sure what to do about Jack. He smiled at her and leaned in and gave her a small hug. Will shook hands with Irina and she gave him a kiss on the cheek thanking him for coming. He then shook hands with Jack. Devlin too gave Irina a kiss on the cheek and shook hands with Jack. Kendall was next.

"So, am I allowed to kiss the bride?" He grinned at Jack, remembering back at APO, when he teased Jack that he was hitting on Irina. Jack rolled his eyes at Kendall smiling. He nodded.

"Yes, if my wife agrees to it." Irina smiled and nodded and Kendall kissed her cheek.

"Congratulations to both of you." He shook hands with Jack.

"Thank you."

Carrie stepped up to Irina and gave her a hug. She moved on to Jack smiling. Jack smiled back and without any awkwardness they hugged, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mitchell gave Irina a hand shake and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He also gave Jack a hand shake and Jack stroked him gently on the head. Marshall was next. He motioned for a hug from Irina, which she gladly gave him, and since he didn't give her a kiss on the cheek, she gave him one, which made him smile shyly. He then walked over to Jack, just looking at him for a few moments, before he threw his arms around him, hugging him. Jack was taken aback by Marshall's hug, and stared a little wide eyed. Carrie rolled her eyes, and apologized with her eyes to Jack. He then smiled and put his arms around Marshall giving him a squeeze. However, when Jack let go, Marshall was still hugging Jack.

"Okay Marshall." Jack gave Marshall a pad on the back and Marshall finally let go.

"Sorry. It's just that I love weddings, and I get very emotional. And I also never thought I'd ever be attending your wedding. Not that you've ever had any reason to get married in the past." He looked at Irina. "I've never seen him with another woman, so I don't think you'd have had anything to worry about. I mean you certainly don't have anything to worry about now, and…" Carrie pulled at Marshall's jacket, which caused him to stop rambling.

"Marshall, I think it's about time you stopped talking." Marshall got red in the face with embarrassment and looked at Jack and Irina apologetically.

"Sorry. My emotions are running away with me." Irina smiled at him.

"It's okay, Marshall." He smiled broadly at her and nodded. Everyone had been watching the scene and laughed a little shaking their heads. Jack turned his attention to them.

"There are refreshments in the garden. Why don't we all go there?" They all headed for the garden. On their way there, Jack held Irina back and let the others go ahead. They looked at each other, smiled and kissed. "I love you, Mrs. Bristow."

"I love you too, Mr. Bristow." They kissed again, and then Irina started to laugh a little.

"What?" She looked at him grinning.

"The Church of Mammals?" He laughed too.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. I swear I didn't know."

"Well, considering that neither of us are saints, and with the past we have, I think it's only fitting. I mean, it would be a little out of place if we were married by a Church of Everything Holy or something like that, when we're not religious. And a Church of Eternal Love or something like that, just sounds too corny." They laughed.

"Then I guess the Church of Mammals isn't that bad." They kissed again.

"Congratulations on your wedding." They broke the kiss and stared a little at the person standing in front of them.

"Katya? What are you doing here?"

"I accepted the pardon and came for the wedding. I might not be wanted here, but I wasn't going to miss seeing my sister getting married. Now I believe that I'm allowed to kiss the groom." Katya took a step towards Jack, but Irina took a step forward, giving her sister her death glare.

"No, you're not." Katya stopped and gave Irina a nod. Irina softened her look and now looked at her sister a little sadly. "You shouldn't be here." Katya gave Irina a small warm smile.

"I know. But you're my sister, and this is your wedding day. I wasn't going to miss seeing you on you special day being so happy." Irina smiled at Katya. "I got what I came for and I'll leave you alone." She walked up to Irina and gave her a hug. "You look beautiful. Congratulations." She gave her sister a kiss on each cheek and smiled at her. She then looked at Jack, giving him a stare. "You better take good care of her, or you'll have me to answer to." Jack glared at Katya, and she gave him a nod. She then took one last look at Irina. "Enjoy your day. I'll be in touch." Irina smiled.

"Bye Katya." She walked away and Jack saw that it broke Irina's heart to see her sister leave. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"She can stay." Irina looked at Jack surprised. He smiled lovingly at her and nodded. She smiled back and gave him a kiss before she walked after Katya calling out her name.

"Katya wait." Katya stopped and waited for Irina to walk up to her. Irina smiled at her. "You can stay. If you want to, you can stay." Katya looked a little surprised at Irina and then looked at Jack, who had joined Irina now.

"What about him? He doesn't want me to stay."

"He was the one, who suggested it." Katya looked at Jack surprised, and he gave her a glare, and not really speaking warmly to her.

"I saw that it hurt Irina to see you walk away, so for my wife's sake, I told her you could stay. But you better behave yourself. This is our day, and you will not ruin it." Katya rolled her eyes at Jack.

"Honestly, you have a big ego. Get over yourself, Jack. I never wanted you. The only reason why I went after you in the first place, was because Irina was always bragging about you. I just wanted to see what the big deal was. You wouldn't give into me, so I kept coming after you. But you're nothing special, and I personally think my sister could do a lot better. It's beyond me why she fell for you." Jack gave her his death glare, and she rolled her eyes at him again. "You have my word that I won't go anywhere near you ever again, and that I'll behave myself. I'm not here to ruin my sister's day." He gave her a nod, and Irina smiled at her.

"Why don't you go and get yourself some refreshments, and say hi to everyone?" Katya nodded and walked off towards the other guests. Irina crashed her lips onto Jack's kissing him passionately and deeply. She then took his face in her hands. "Thank you for letting her stay. That means so much to me. Whatever you want me to do for you, you just name it." He looked at her hungrily.

"I'll tell you tonight what I want you to do for me." She looked back at him, equally hungrily and then kissed him passionately again.

Katya had spotted some of the other guests as she reached them. They all stared at her not believing she was there. No one wanted anything to do with her and she could easily tell. Kendall looked at the reaction from the others. Seeing as he had no personal issues with Katya and he would be the one responsible for her, he walked up to her. He smiled sincerely at her and put out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Jim Kendall. I'm the one, who'll be your contact person." She glared at him, looking him up and down. Then she scoffed and walked off without saying anything, leaving Kendall in his place, with his hand still reached out. He gaped a little at her reaction and watched her as she walked over to Sergei, who was standing talking to Devlin a little further away from everyone else. The others had watched the interaction between Kendall and Katya and couldn't help but grin a little, even though no one wanted to give Katya the time of day at the moment. Kendall walked back to them. He looked annoyed and his tone was filled with sarcasm. "Oh, it's just going to fun working with her." The others let out a small laugh and Kendall just rolled his eyes shaking his head.

Everyone started to mingle and Jack and Irina joined the others. Devlin walked up to them.

"When did you have time to invite Katya to the wedding?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, I tried calling your house last night to tell you that she'd agreed to the pardon, but the phone was disconnected. I just assumed that since she only agreed to the pardon yesterday that she hadn't been invited to the wedding." Jack shook his head.

"Sydney and Nadia wanted to keep with tradition, so we weren't allowed to see each other, nor were we allowed to communicate. So they unplugged the phones." Devlin nodded.

"Well, then it's nice that she was able to make it to the wedding. It's nice that you had your sister here on your wedding day." Irina smiled at Devlin.

"Yes, it is. I'm very happy to have her here." She gave Jack's hand a squeeze as they talked to Devlin some more.

The day went well. They all had a nice time and later everyone had talked a little with Katya. Jack and Irina danced their first dance to 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.' Since they'd both dreamt for years for this day to come, they thought it was perfect. Later everyone else danced too. Jack danced with all the ladies at the wedding except for Katya and Robin, and Irina danced with all the men, even Vaughn, though not Stephen or Mitchell.

Sydney, Nadia, and Eric were now watching Jack dancing with Carrie, and Irina dancing with Marshall, as Vaughn walked up to them with a drink for Sydney. Eric turned to Nadia.

"Would it be alright if I danced with your sister?" She smiled and laughed a little.

"Yes, of course. You don't have to ask me about that." Sydney put down her drink, but Eric walked right passed her.

"Hey, I thought you were going to ask me to dance?" He turned around and smiled.

"No, I was going to ask Maddie, Or Caitie. I'll ask one of them first and then the other after. You might be adorable, Syd, but you have two younger sisters, who are more adorable." He laughed as did Nadia and Vaughn, and Sydney joined too shaking her head at him. Vaughn put down his drink, as Eric left.

"If you ladies will excuse me, I'm going to dance with the sister that Weiss won't be dancing with, and then after I'll dance with the other." Sydney nodded and she and Nadia looked at each other laughing a little. A few seconds later Ethan and Mitchell walked up to them.

"Sydney, will you dance with me?" Sydney smiled at Mitchell.

"I'd love too." They walked out on the dance floor hand in hand. Ethan held out his hand for Nadia.

"Nadia, will you dance with me?" She smiled at her brother.

"Of course I will." They too walked out on the dance floor hand in hand.

Soon everyone was looking at the triplets and Mitchell dancing with Sydney, Nadia, Vaughn, and Eric. Sydney whispered something in Mitchell's ear, and seconds later they walked over to Stephen and Robin, and had them join them on the dance floor. Seconds later the rest of them joined them and they all danced around each other, with the parents of the people on the dance floor watching.

Hours later in the late evening the dance floor was empty. Irina was talking to Carrie and Rachel as Jack walked over to them.

"Excuse me ladies, but do you mind if I steal my wife away?" Irina smiled lovingly at him.

"Of course not. Go ahead."

Jack took Irina by the hand and let her out on the dance floor wrapping their arms around each other. They started to dance with everyone watching them. Sergei walked over and sat next to Katya, giving her shoulder a squeeze. They looked at each other and smiled, before looking back at the dance floor.

Carrie walked over to Marshall, who was sitting with Mitchell, who was half asleep. She sat down next to him, kissing his cheek, then resting her head on his shoulder, and he rested his head against hers, as they watched Jack and Irina dance.

Will walked up to Rachel. They smiled at each other and then turned their heads to the dance floor.

Dixon came from the bar and sat down between his children. He wrapped an arm around each of them, and they leaned into his shoulder as they all watched Jack and Irina dance smiling.

Kendall and Devlin stood at the bar looking at the bride and groom smiling. They then looked briefly at each other raising their glasses toasting, before looking back at the dance floor.

Vaughn came back with Isabelle, who had woken up, and walked over to where Sydney, Nadia, Eric were sitting. He sat down next to Sydney, and gave her a kiss. She then kissed Isabelle. Nadia and Eric looked at each other and kissed too. The triplets walked up to them. Maddie sat on Sydney's lap, Caitie sat on Nadia's lap, and Ethan sat on Eric's lap. They all looked around each other and smiled. They then returned to enjoy Jack and Irina dancing.

On the dance floor Jack and Irina only had eyes for each other, and were oblivious to everyone watching them. They held each other tight as they slowly swayed to the music. Irina gave Jack a soft kiss and then smiled contently.

"I can't believe we're finally together. I know that we've been together for a while now, but still renewing our vows, makes it more real." He smiled back at her.

"It was for the best." She smiled broader at him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We couldn't very well have me in one part of the world being madly in love with you, while you were in another part of the world being madly in love with me." They both let out a small laugh.

"You're right. It was for the best that we got back together." They laughed a little more and he smiled at her lovingly.

"Nothing will ever be able to keep us apart anymore. We belong together and can't live without each other. There's no denying that, and I look forward to waking up next to you for the rest of my life." He kissed her.

"I do too. I love you, Jack." She gently stroked his cheek with his hand.

"I love you, Irina." They kissed again and kept kissing and dancing for a long time, just holding each other close, knowing that this time they'd be together forever.

**The End.**


End file.
